title: Collection and phagocytic evaluation of uterine neutrophilic leukocytes.
abstract: The study of phagocytosis in the bovine uterus requires the collection of large numbers of uterine leukocytes. A method of stimulating polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) invasion into the bovine uterus with oyster glycogen was tested. Following glycogen treatment, uterine aspirates contained large numbers (10(6)-10(9)) of viable uterine PMN. In Experiment 1, six cows were treated at one-week intervals by intrauterine infusion with 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0% oyster glycogen, respectively. Uterine lumens were lavaged at 0, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 168 hours post-infusion with each concentration of glycogen. The mean peak response for PMN was at 12 hours post-infusion of glycogen. In Experiment 2, uterine and peripheral blood PMN were collected from each of 12 cows. Phagocytosis was measured as the percent of (32)Phosphorus-labeled Staphylococcus aureus ingested by PMN during a one-hour incubation. Mean (+/- standard deviation) percent phagocytosis was not statistically different between blood (53.6 +/- 11.0%) and uterine (43.8 +/- 13.0%) PMN. This indicates that phagocytic activity was similar for PMN collected either from the uterine lumen or peripheral blood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine College of Veterinary Medicine University of Illinois 1102 West Hazelwood Drive Urbana, IL 61801 USA.
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Hemeida
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Whitmore
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Gustafsson