Abstract
Inhibition of macrophage migration is a well established assay for delayed hypersensitivity. The inhibitory factor (MIF) is a lymphokine which also plays a role in macrophage activation. In this report we show that complement derived peptides can regulate the motility of macrophages in a MIF type assay. Cleavage products of factor B inhibit migration, while cleavage products of C5 increase macrophage migration.
Mouse peritoneal cells obtained 5 days after i.p. injection of mineral oil were washed and centrifuged into capillary tubes. The capillaries were sectioned at the medium-cell interface and placed into chambers containing 450 µl of 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (56°C, 1 hr) in RPMI 1640 medium. After addition of the complement derived peptides, the chambers were incubated for 18 hr at 37°C and the areas of migration determined. More than 90% of the cells remained viable at the end of the assay.
