Biochemical properties of polymorphonuclear neutrophils from venous blood and peritoneal exudates of rabbits.

The biochemical properties of polymorphonuclear neutrophils from blood and peritoneal exudates of rabbits were compared. All enzymes measured showed almost identical activities in both types of cells, except for alkaline phosphodiesterase, the activity of which was seven times higher in peritoneal neutrophils. During phagocytosis, blood and peritoneal beta-glucuronidases were released in very similar fashions. Lysozyme, one of the enzymes concerned with killing of bacteria, as well as beta-glucuronidase, showed the same releasing pattern in both types of cells, but peroxidase was hardly released. Although superoxide anion generation in peritoneal neutrophils was two times higher than superoxide generation in blood neutrophils, phagocytic and bactericidal activities were almost the same in blood and peritoneal neutrophils. Blood neutrophils were more resistant to hypotonic lysis than were peritoneal neutrophils. These results show that there are no distinct differences in enzymatic and functional properties between blood and peritoneal polymorphonuclear neutrophils, except for alkaline phosphodiesterase activity, superoxide anion production, and osmotic fragility.