To evaluate whether lymphocyte chemotactic factor is involved in the accumulation of lymphocytes in tuberculous pleurisy, we measured lymphocyte chemotactic activity in tuberculous pleural effusions, and compared with that in malignant pleural effusions and transudate.
The lymphocyte chemotactic activity was measured in vitro with chemotactic chamber. The cells suspended in the culture medium was added to the upper well and the effusions, normal human serum (NHS), or culture medium were placed below nitrocellulose filter. The lymphocyte migration was quantified by counting the number of cells migrating beyond a distance of 70 pm from top of the filter in 5 selected fields. The chemotactic activity of the effusions was expressed as a percentage of the control migration in the culture medium. When we used the freshly isolated peripheral blood lymphocytes as responding cells, the chemotactic activity was 176.0 ± 41.3% in tuberculous effusions, 115.1 ± 53.8% in malignant effusions, 87.1 ± 16.1% in transudate, and 113.3 ± 24.2% in NHS, respectively. The activity of tuberculous effusions was significantly higher than that of transudate and NHS. When we used PHA-ctivated lymphocytes, the activity was 284.4 ± 159.3% in tuberculous effusions, 123.1 ± 77.6% in malignant effusions, 75.8 ± 10.3% in transudate, and 52.6 ± 10.1% in NHS, respectively. The activity of tuberculous effusions was significantly higher than that of malignant effusions, transudate and NHS. The chemotactic activity of tuberculous effusions to PHA-activated lymphocytes was significantly higher than that to freshly isolated lymphocytes. The activity was specific for T lymphocytes, and showed both chemotaxis and chemokinesis by checkerboard analysis. Gel filtration performed with Sephacryl S-200 revealed that the chemotactic activities in a tuberculous fluid had three peaks located in the regions between blue dextran and immunoglobulin G, near to human albumin and cytochrome c marker. The most potent activity was found at the region near human albumin.
Lymphocyte chemotactic factor in tuberculous effusion may stimulate the migration of T lymphocytes, especially the activated T lymphocytes to the pleural spaces.
