[Characteristics of the functional activity of human blood neutrophils using the nitroblue tetrazolium reduction...

A study was made of the test of restoration of the nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) by the intact blood neutrophils and the neutrophils stimulated with various endotoxin doses of Gram-negative bacteria in 70 healthy persons. A high sensitivity of the test with the NBT for the quantitative assessment of the neutrophil response under conditions stimulating the phagocytic activity was demonstrated. A functional nonhomogeneity of the neutrophil population, the most distinct with the minimal stimulating action, was noted.