Separation of macrophages from mouse peritoneal exudate cells with substrata coated with chemically modified collagens

A cell‐separation technique was designed on the basis of specific interaction between macrophages and chemically modified collagens in the presence of serum. When unseparated mouse peritoneal exudate cells containing approximately 50% macrophages and 50% lymphocytes were incubated in dishes coated with unmodified and chemically modified collagens, only macrophages adhered more rapidly and in greater numbers to succinylated and methylated collagen than to unmodified collagen. The adherent macrophages could be easily detached from the substrata by divalent cation chelating agents. The purity and recovery of macrophages separated by this method were approximately 92–94% and 41–48%, respectively.