Measurement of neutrophil adhesion under conditions mimicking blood flow

Neutrophil migration from blood into tissues is required for effective innate immune responses against infection. Adhesion of the neutrophil in blood to the vascular endothelium and eventual migration through the vessel wall and accumulation at the site of infection involves different classes of adhesion molecules. In vivo intravital microscopy studies show that different adhesion molecules mediate binding events under shear forces associated with blood flow vs binding events that take place under static conditions. To fully analyze the function of these adhesion molecules in vitro, assays must reflect the hemodynamic forces associated with blood flow. We outline two approaches used to study neutrophil adhesion under conditions that mimic blood flow.