Assessment of the functional capacity for intracellular dearth and phagocytosis of polymorphonuclear cells in healthy neonates

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to assess the functional capacity for intracellular death (ID) and/or phagocytic index (PI) of polymorphonuclear cells of 24-h-old healthy newborns with respect to the PMN cells of adults using the same standard exogenous source of opsonins. The ID and PI techniques were standardized and 2-3 ml of blood were used. No differences were found in the percentages of ID, P, PI among the PMNs of the newborns and those of the adults 43.95 ñ 15.70 vs. 44.56 ñ 8.43 for ID; 38.96 ñ 14.34 vs. 39.00 ñ 14.54 for P; 1.71 ñ 0.54 vs. 1.73 0.45 for PI, respectively. It was concluded that the PMNs of 24-h newborns have an ID, P, PI functionality comparable to adult PMNs; differences observed in PMN function in newborns may be due to humoral deficiencies (opsonins)