Monocyte interactions with solid substrates monitored by chemiluminescence.

The kinetics of interaction of solid substrates with mononuclear cells is a little explored by important feature in the evaluation of potential prosthetic materials. Monocyte production of chemiluminescence in a luminol-enhanced system was used to explore such kinetics. A theoretical model of cell/surface interaction is developed and alternatives in the evaluation of data generated by chemiluminescent curves are presented. The interactions of monocytes with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surface were similar to those seen in studies on phagocytosis and were dependent on an absorbed serum protein layer. This study illustrates the use of a simple laboratory test for monocyte oxidative function in assessing the potential inflammatory effects of various prosthetic materials.