A mechanism of migration inhibition in delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions. II. Lymphokines promote procoagulant activity of macrophages in vitro.

Although lymphokine supernatants had no procoagulant activity per se, guinea pig peritoneal exudate cells (PEC), incubated with lymphokine supernatants or with a lymphokine fraction of 35,000 to 50,000 daltons decreased the recalcification time of platelet-poor plasma. PEC from animals immunized with BCG or with ovalbumin and incubated with the corresponding antigen had increased procoagulant activity. Similar effects were observed with PEC incubated with endotoxin. The induction of procoagulant activity by the cells was accompanied by a concomitant decrease in their ability to respond to chemotactic agents and to migrate from capillary tubes. Separation of exudate cells by sedimentation velocity indicated that large macrophages had the highest degree of procoagulant activity after incubation with lymphokines. The clotting time of Factor IX-deficient plasma was decreased by lymphokine-treated macrophages, indicating that the extrinsic clotting sequence may be activated as a result of increased tissue factor on the treated cells. Heparin abolished the ability of lymphokines to inhibit macrophage migration.