Studies into the association between leucocyte accumulation and oedema formation

We have treated rats with methotrexate to reduce their circulating leucocyte numbers and in particular their polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Injection of zymosan, calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals, carrageenan or dextran into rat pleural cavities induced leucocyte accumulation and oedema formation both of which were reduced by prior methotrexate treatment. The observation that the depletion of circulating leucocytes reduces both inflammatory cell accumulation and oedema formation suggests that these two processes are closely linked. In contrast treatment of animals with the anti-complementary agent K76COONa blocked leucocyte accumulation but had no effect on oedema formation indicating the two processes can occur independently. This conflicting data suggests that the association between leucocyte accumulation and oedema formation is complex.