Chemotactic factor-induced membrane potential changes in rabbit neutrophils monitored by the fluorescent dye 3,3'-dipropylthiadicarbocyanine iodide.

Rabbit neutrophil leucocytes take up the cationic, fluorescent dye 3,3'-dipropylthiadicarbocyanine iodide (DiS-C3-(5)). Treatment with valinomycin and K+ then produces characteristic changes in suspension fluorescence that indicate that the dye enters the cells in a potential-dependent fashion and that the resting membrane potential lies between -66 and -86 mV. The peptide, N-fMet-Leu-Phe, a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils, added to stained cell suspensions, induces fluorescence intensity changes. These occur over an 8-10 min period. The time course of this response is profoundly affected by the omission of Ca2+ from the medium. When this ion is present (1.26 mM) a small, transient increase in intensity is observed, superimposed on a sustained decrease. On the other hand, in the absence of added Ca2+ a large, transient increase is observed. The ED50 for this is 1.1 x 10(-10) M. These changes are not elicited by N-fMet-Phe (10(-9) M) and are inhibited by the antagonist Boc-Leu-Phe-Leu-Phe. However, a component of zymosan-activated rabbit plasma, which is complement-derived, induces identical fluorescence changes that are not inhibited by the antagonist, confirming that neutrophil activation by complement operates through an independent receptor. The fluorescence responses to the chemotactic peptide and the activated-plasma component may be interpreted in terms of changes in neutrophil membrane potential brought about by alterations in cell ionic permeability at an early stage during activation. The transient increase corresponds to a depolarisation that may be associated with a change in Na+ permeability, while the sustained decrease corresponds to a membrane hyperpolarisation.