Oxidative product formation in irradiated neutrophils. A flow cytometric analysis.

The effect of irradiation on neutrophil oxidative function was evaluated using a flow cytometric assay of intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production. This assay quantitates the H2O2-dependent conversion of the nonfluorescent compound, 2'-7'-dichlorofluorescein (DCFH), into fluorescent 2'-7'-dichlorofluorescein (DCF) on a single-cell basis. Intracellular H2O2 production in response to stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate was not affected by neutrophil irradiation at doses up to 2500 rad. In addition, irradiation of intracellular DCFH and aqueous 2'-7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) resulted in DCF production, which suggested that oxidative molecules produced by aqueous radiolysis were detected by this assay. This study indicates that radiation doses of 1500 to 2500 rad, which are sufficient to prevent induction of graft-versus-host disease by transfused blood components, are not deleterious to neutrophil oxidative metabolism.