The sealed capillary migration technique and thymocyte migration in vitro.
The in vitro migration of thymocytes in sealed capillary tubes was influenced by cell number, temperature, cell viability and oxygen supply. Migration was successively slower over a 24 h period. There was no major influence of gravity or the degree of initial packing of the cells by centrifugation. Migration was inhibited by cytochalasin B, although the cells escaped from this effect after 8 h. A transient stimulatory effect on migration was seen after addition of serum or supernatants from cultured thymocytes. There was no effect of isoproterenol, theophylline or carbacholine. A paradoxic effect was obtained with high doses of some metabolic inhibitors, which produced increased migration in spite of cell death. The technique may be used for studies on lymphocyte migration in vitro, but care must be taken to exclude a toxic influence of added substances, and expected effects should preferably be looked for early after onset of migration, since cell viability is gradually decreased.
D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood; D002217:Carbachol / Q000494:pharmacology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival; D003470:Culture Media; D003571:Cytochalasin B / Q000494:pharmacology; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D013696:Temperature
D003470:Culture Media; D003571:Cytochalasin B; D002217:Carbachol; D007545:Isoproterenol