Flow cytometric determination of circulating immune complexes with the indirect granulocyte phagocytosis test.
A method for the determination of circulating immune complexes (CIC) was adapted for flow cytometric analysis. Human granulocytes were used to phagocytose IgG-bearing CIC of serum from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. A method for labeling the phagocytosed CIC with FITC-conjugated anti-human IgG was developed where the granulocytes remain in suspension during fixation and labeling. The fluorescence per cell, measured with a flow cytometer, is a measure of the total amount of the phagocytosed IgG. The results indicate that a rapid and quantitative method for the detection and measurement of phagocytosed CIC is possible using the flow cytometer.
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D010587:Phagocytosis
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex