Stimulated neutrophil locomotion: chemokinesis and chemotaxis

All leukocytes are capable of responding chemotactically (oriented locomotion) and chemokinetically (stimulated nondirected or random locomotion) to a variety of chemical agents. A brief review of the in vitro and in vivo methods of studying neutrophil movement and our present knowledge of chemotactic factors is presented as well as a discussion on the mechanisms of stimulated movement. Two clinically important instances of defects in neutrophil movement, ie, the Chédiak-Higashi syndrome and a case of actin dysfunction, are herein described.