Flow cytometry analysis of lung cells from normal and acid-treated rabbits.

Lavaged lung cells from normal rabbits and rabbits given hydrochloric acid intratracheally were analyzed using flow cytometry techniques. The rabbit alveolar macrophage was characterized as a cell with relatively high light scatter and high intrinsic autofluorescence compared with the lung neutrophil with its lower light scatter and autofluorescence. The flow cytometry characteristics of these 2 cell populations were confirmed with light microscopy after cell sorting. A flow cytometry analysis of alveolar macrophage phagocytosis using fluorescent latex particles was applied to normal rabbit alveolar macrophages. These studies showed that flow cytometry can be used to study the morphologic features and function of rabbit lavage lung cell populations and may be ultimately useful in the analysis of human lung cells.