Kinetics of enzymes released from polymorphonuclear leucocytes in a skin chamber

Ten healthy volunteers were investigated with a skin chamber technique developed for leucocyte migration studies. Chambers, filled with autologous serum, were harvested at 4, 8, 12, 22, and 30 hours. A marked increase was found both in the concentration of elastase in chamber serum as measured by RIA, and of lysozyme as measured both with lysoplate and electroimmuno assays. The immuno-reactive elastase was shown to consist exclusively of elastase-alpha 1-proteinase-inhibitor complexes. During the first 22 hours the concentrations of elastase and lysozyme were roughly proportional to the number of cells in the skin chamber (r = 0.92 and 0.85). At longer incubation times there was a decrease of relative concentration of elastase but not of lysozyme. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was measured as a marker of the lysis of chamber leucocytes. Lysis was less than 1.5% at all incubation times. The present study shows a release of elastase from primary granules and of lysozyme when polymorphonuclear leucocytes migrate into a skin chamber.