Chemotactic activity of human granulocytes preserved in various anticoagulants

It has been shown that granulocyte function remains unchanged after 24 hours of storage at 4 ° C. when measured by the bactericidal assay and the quantitative nitroblue tetrazolium test. These assays measure the ability of granulocytes to phagocytize latex particles. However, in granulocyte transfusion therapy, these cells must retain the ability to migrate to sites of infection. Therefore, the chemotactic response of granulocytes was studied after collection and during storage in four currently available anticoagulant preservatives. Granulocytes were collected from 18 different donors by phlebotomy into plastic bags using acid citrate dextrose (ACD), citrate phosphate dextrose (CPD), heparin, and ion exchange anticoagulants, and stored under standard blood bank conditions. Immediately after collection, granulocytes from all anticoagulants had chemotactic responsiveness equal to control granulocytes collected directly from the donor. Following 24 hours of storage, there was a 14 per cent loss of chemotactic response in ACD granulocytes, 12 per cent loss of response in CPD granulocytes, 26 per cent loss in heparin granulocytes, and 24 per cent loss of response in ion exchange granulocytes. Loss of chemotactic response of this mild degree suggests that granulocytes stored for up to 24 hours in ACD or CPD may be satisfactory for transfusion.