Oxidative activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes after thermal injury

Since defects in polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) function are associated with an increased risk of infection, we measured the metabolic response of neutrophils from 23 burn patients with a mean burn size of 52%. Neutrophils from burn patients had a different pattern of oxygen consumption than control cells; the rate of QO2 at rest was higher, while the magnitude of the respiratory burst was lower in patient than in control PMNs, depending on whether the cells were incubated in media or normal serum. The burn-induced changes in patient PMN metabolism seem to be due to circulating factors, at least in part, since the pattern of increased resting and decreased stimulated QO2 could be transferred to control cells by incubating them in burn serum. Thus, a thermal injury alters neutrophil metabolism as well as systemic metabolism.