Polymorphonuclear granulocyte expression of CD11a/CD18, CD11b/CD18 and L-selectin in normal individuals

In this study direct immunofluorescence and flow cytometry with calibration using quantitative bead standards were used to enumerate the cell surface receptors CD11a/CD18, CD11b/CD18 and L-selectin. Holding blood at room temperature and fixation of samples prior to staining induced changes in expression, while immediate staining of polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMN) in whole blood followed by fixation produced accurate values. The ranges of PMN adhesion molecule expression in 10 normal individuals were CD11a/CD18: 14794-28725, CD11b/CD18: 5300-11939 and L-selectin: 35662-61654 receptors per cell. Differences within individuals over 4 h were also observed. Adhesion molecule expression is used as an index of the adhesive function and state of activation of the cell. The data presented here shows that there is inherent variability in the expression of the PMN adhesion molecules between and within individuals, thus direct comparisons of PMN adhesion molecule expression between patients and "normals" must be interpreted with caution.