Ingestion rate and glycolytic enzymes in neutrophils of patients with agnogenic osteomyelofibrosis and splenomegaly.

Ingestion rate of granulocytes in osteomyelofibrosis with splenomegaly, which is still a matter of controversy, was measured in 32 patients. The mean ingestion rate in patients' granulocytes was similar to that of the controls; the results, however, were more dispersed in the patients than in the controls, with very high (three patients) and very low (three patients) ingestion rates. Ingestion alterations were serum-independent. Neutrophil glycolytic enzymes and adenylate-kinase were measured in order to assess: (1) if they could be responsible for the observed abnormalities and (2) if enzyme abnormalities, previously described in red blood cells, also occur in the neutrophils. Major increases in phosphofructoaldolase and in 3-phosphoglycerate kinase activities, contrasting with a decrease in pyruvate kinase activity were observed. These, however, did not correlate with ingestion alterations. In conclusion, we showed that the granulocyte ingestion rate is altered in a few patients only, that the alterations are unrelated to the serum, to adenylate kinase or to glycolytic enzyme abnormalities. The latter, however, are important. The mechanisms of their occurrence are unknown and hypotheses such as those proposed for red blood cells enzyme modifications in myeloproliferative disorders could be applicable.