Intracellular and extracellular degranulation of human polymorphonuclear azurophil and specific granules induced by immune complexes.

The nature of the phagocytic stimulus determines the degree of degranulation. Specifically, immune complexes induced more degranulation than did antigen or antibody alone. The release of constituents from the two granule classes represented independent phenomena. Relatively more of the specific granule proteins were released into the medium during phagocytosis, whereas more of the azurophil proteins were associated with the phagosomes.