| Abstract: | ![]()
An inhibitory activity against neutrophil chemotactic factors was found in normal human serum. Elevated levels of this chemotaxis inhibitory activity were demonstrated in sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The physico-chemical characteristics of this chemotaxis inhibitory substance(s) in SLE serum were almost identical to those of the inhibitory substance(s) in normal human serum; both the inhibitory substances were heat labile, soluble in 45% saturated ammonium sulphate, worked directly on chemotactic factor and affected various chemotactic factors. A study using Sephadex G- 100 chromatography showed that the molecular sizes of both inhibitory substances were almost identical. No correlation was found between the levels of the chemotaxis inhibitory activity in SLE sera and other clinical parameters including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and serum concentration of either the third component of complement (C3) or the fourth component of complement (C4). Specimens from patients with the following diseases failed to demonstrate elevated levels of chemotaxis inhibitory activities; rheumatoid arthritis, urticaria, psoriasis vulgaris, atopic dermatitis and discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). |
