B-cells purified using azide give different responses in vitro to B-cells purified without azide.

Some established techniques for B-cell enrichment include azide in the media. Here, B-cells were enriched using a technique which transiently exposed the cells of 15 mM sodium azide. After 3-4 days in culture, the precursor frequency of autoantibody-secreting cells in this population was 0.113%. In contrast, when B-cells were enriched using a technique which eliminated their exposure to sodium azide, the number of autoantibody-secreting precursor cells detected in cultures was increased up to 20-fold. Therefore, it is concluded that transient exposure to azide affects functional activities of B-cells in vitro.