The adherence to human endothelium and plastic of neutrophils from psoriatic patients, and the effects of psoriatic patients'' sera on normal neutrophils

Circulating polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) from 50 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and from 38 control individuals (28 healthy blood donors and 10 patients with systemic sclerosis) were tested for their ability to adhere to human endothelial cell monolayer and a plastic surface. We also studied the effect of sera from psoriatic patients on the adherence and chemotactic activity of normal human neutrophils. The neutrophils from patients with psoriasis were much more adherent to the endothelium and the plastic surface, and this correlated positively with the activity of the disease, but inversely with the extent of the skin lesion. The sera from patients with active psoriasis were found to enhance the adherence and chemotaxis of normal human PMNs. Treatment of the sera by heat (56 degrees C for 30 min) did not affect their enhancing effect on the adherence but significantly decreased their effect on the chemotactic activity of normal PMNs.