Effect of exogenous cyclic AMP and other adenine nucleotides on neutrophil chemotaxis and motility.

Cyclic AMP placed in the bottom of the modified Boyden chemotaxis chamber is weakly chemotactic for rabbit peritoneal neutrophils. Dibutyryl-cyclic AMP under similar conditions gives a biphasic response, being weakly chemotactic at low concentrations and inhibiting cell movement at higher concentrations. When mixed with the cells in the upper compartment of the chemotaxis chamber, cyclic AMP and dibutyryl-cyclic AMP enhance neutrophil spontaneous motility; on the other hand, dibutyryl-cyclic AMP mixed with the cells in the upper compartment consistently inhibits neutrophil chemotactic responsiveness, while cyclic AMP has a variable effect on chemotaxis. The effect of ADP and ATP was to inhibit chemotaxis and spontaneous motility. AMP is totally without effect.