Abstract
Conclusions
Leukotaxine, the substance obtained from inflammatory exudates which is capable per se of increasing capillary permeability and of inducing leukocytic migration, markedly augments the permeability of sea urchin ova to water. Furthermore, a considerable number of ova exposed to this substance manifest abnormal cleavage development following their insemination. This appears in the form both of unequal cleavage and of an appreciable retardation in the rate of cell division. Sperms are also inactivated after prolonged exposure to leukotaxine. These various manifestations indicate that leukotaxine induces a certain degree of cellular injury when in contact with the ova or sperms of Arbacia punctulata. These effects on invertebrate eggs coupled with its role in inflammation suggest that leukotaxine may prove of biological significance in the study of cell division and permeability.
My thanks are due to Doctor B. Lucke for generous advice during the course of this study.
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