Open AccessOn opsonins in relation to red blood-cells
Author(s) -
J. O. Wakelin Barratt
Publication year - 1907
Publication title -
proceedings of the royal society of london. series b, containing papers of a biological character
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2053-9185
pISSN - 0950-1193
DOI - 10.1098/rspb.1907.0001
Subject(s) - opsonin , phagocytosis , red blood cell , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , antibody , chemistry , biology
In a previous communication it was pointed out that opsonins, whose existence in relation to bacteria is generally recognised, are also produced by injecting foreign red blood-cells into the peritoneal cavity. The latter variety of opsonin, which is thermostable, not being destroyed by exposure to 58° C. for 30 minutes, is taken up by red blood-cells of the kind used for injection. Such red blood-cells, after being thus “sensibilised” by opsonin, are ingested by leucocytes. Since it appeared obvious that the occurrence of phagocytosis might, under suitable conditions of experiment, be made use of in order to discover if a serum were capable of sensibilising red blood-cells, that is, if it contained opsonin corresponding to the red blood-cells employed, it was determined to ascertain if, proceeding along the line of investigation thus suggested, a method for the estimation of red blood-cell opsonins could be devised. It was further decided to study the nature of the action of such opsonins upon red blood-cells.