Cellular Adhesion to Solid Surface:Effect of the Presence of Cationic Electrolytes in the Suspension Medium

Abstract

The relationship between defective leucocytes and the incidence of inflammation has been increasingly explored since Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch. It is generally accepted that during the adhesion of leucocytes to the inflammatory sites of vascular tissue, in order to achieve an intimate contact, leucocytes must overcome a substantial energy barrier established by the interaction potential between the surfaces of leucocyte and tissue. This interaction potential comprises the van der Waals attraction and lectrical double-layer interactions ¹. By assuming that the Brownian motion of cells over the energy barrier of the interaction potential is the rate-determining step, Ruckenstein and Prieve² show that the rate of adhesion is expotentially sensitive tothe height of the barrier. According to the classical DLVO theory ³, the height of this barrier depends on the Hamaker constant, ionic strength of the suspension medium, and the surface potentials of the two interacting surfaces. In general, if the Hamaker constant remains unchanged, the height of the energy barrier and the electrostatic repulsion force can be lowered either by increasing the ionic strength of the suspension medium or by decreasing the surface potential of cells through a specific cationic adsorption. In these cases, the rate of adhesion of cells is increased.