Chemotactic migration of neutrophils under agarose

A simple test for neutrophil chemotaxis is described. Wells were cut in soft agarose gel and filled with human peripheral blood leukocytes, chemotactin and control substances. Neutrophils consistently migrated under agarose towards the well with chemotactin, but not towards wells with control substances. Chemotaxis was quantitated as the mean distance travelled by 10 cells farthest from the well of origin, at specified time-intervals after filling the wells. Approximately 1/3 distance was covered in 2 hours, 3/4 in 4 hours and 90 per cent in 6 hours. The migrating cells examined after fixation and staining were found to be predominantly neutrophils with occasional eosinophils and monocytes