Reversible Attachment of Human Peripheral Blood Monocytes During in Vitro Culture

The attachment kinetics of monocytes to polystyrene surfaces from cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes has been determined. Initial experiments showed that the relative monocyte depletion efficiency was much higher after one hour than after twenty hours of incubation. The supernatants from samples incubated for one hour also contained fewer monocytes than did supernatants from samples incubated for twenty hours. Further studies showed that a large percentage of monocytes which initially attach during the first hour later detach. These cells retain their ability to attach to a new culture substrate and to mature into macrophages.