Effect of Cell Concentration on Oxygen Consumption of Leukocytes under Varying Conditions.

Abstract

The O2 consumption of unwashed guinea pig peritoneal exudate cells, when measured in buffered serum by the direct method of Warburg, is not proportional to the cell concn. With the cells suspended in serum, the rate of 02 consumption decreases with time at low cell concns., but tends to remain uniform at high cell concns. With the cells suspended in a physiologic salt soln., the O2 consumption and cell concn. are proportional for the first 30 min., however, with time the rate of 02 consumption decreases at the low cell concns. The pH range, buffer, ionic strength, and O2 tension used in these expts. had no effect on the disproportion between cell concn. and O2 consumption.