[Monocyte chemotactic factor produced from cell culture of rabbit aortic smooth muscle]

In the present studies conditioned media from cultured rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were collected, and the chemotactic activity for rabbit peripheral blood monocytes was investigated by micropore filter assay. The results showed that the conditioned media were significantly chemotactic but not chemokinetic for monocytes. Chemotactic activity was heat stable at 80 degrees C for 30 min, but vanished upon boiling and after incubation with trypsin. It still existed after dialysis. Thus we believe that cultured rabbit aortic SMCs can secrete a protein which is chemotactic for peripheral blood monocytes.