The Influence of Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes and Macrophages on Antibody Production

The site of production of antibodies and the cells active in their elaboration is still the subject of much controversy. Immunologists have long been interested in the role of macrophages in the production of antibodies. Since Metchnikoff (1) at the turn of the century demonstrated the production of antibodies by tissues rich in macrophages, much evidence has been accumulated substantiating his observation. The relation of active macrophages to immunity has been reported by Bieling and Isaac (2), Siegmund (3), Standenath (4), Gay and Clark (5), Jungeblut and Berlot (6), Ross (7), Cannon, Baer, Sullivan and Webster (8), Tuft (9), Phillipson (10) and others in their experiments in which the reticuloendothelial cells were “blockaded” by various substances. More recently it has been suggested that lymphocytes (11) and plasma cells (12, 13, 14) are more intimately associated with the actual production of antibody. The part played by the polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the immunologic processes is less well understood.