Table 2.
Indices of phagocytosis for various phagocytic cell populations after in vitro phagocytosis of FITC-labelled opsonised zymosan-A bioparticles*
| PMN | Mononuclear phagocyte populations
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monocytes | All macrophages | Immature macrophages | Mature macrophages | ||
| Population phagocytic index (MFI) | |||||
| Normal | 67 (42 to 91) | 67 (29 to 105) | 170 (111 to 229) | 134 (90 to 177) | 219 (147 to 292) |
| Asthmatic | 356 (150 to 563) | 86 (1 to 171) | 767 (199 to 1337) | 560 (147 to 973) | 1016 (293 to 1738) |
| p Value | 0.001 | 1.000 | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.001 |
| Phagocytic cells within a population (%) | |||||
| Normal | 24.8 (16.2 to 33.4) | 22.8 (12.2 to 33.5) | 46.4 (33.0 to 59.8) | 42.8 (31.2 to 54.3) | 41.5 (29.8 to 53.2) |
| Asthmatic | 58.4 (39.9 to 76.9) | 29.5 (11.3 to 47.7) | 69.6 (59.9 to 79.2) | 81.5 (68.5 to 94.6) | 67.0 (57.7 to 76.37) |
| p Value | 0.001 | 0.710 | 0.004 | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Particles/phagocytic cell | |||||
| Normal | 1.7 (1.0 to 2.3) | 1.8 (1.2 to 2.3) | 2.3 (1.8 to 2.7) | 1.7 (1.4 to 2.0) | 2.4 (1.8 to 3.0) |
| Asthmatic | 3.0 (1.6 to 4.3) | 1.4 (0.9 to 1.9) | 6.0 (2.4 to 9.6) | 3.6 (1.3 to 5.9) | 7.7 (2.9 to 12.4) |
| p Value | 0.053 | 0.259 | 0.001 | 0.011 | 0.001 |
Values are mean (95% confidence interval). Subjects with asthma generally demonstrated enhanced phagocytosis compared with normal healthy subjects.
*
Normal subjects (n = 7/8); subjects with asthma (n = 7/10); assays were not done for some subjects (see text).
All macrophages, combined immature and mature macrophage populations, excluding monocytes; MFI, mean fluorescence intensity; PMN, polymorphonuclear leucocyte (neutrophil).