* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received September 11, 2002; Revision received January 28, 2003
High-pressure helium reduces the latex-induced activated chemiluminescence of diluted human blood. This effect is more noticeable, when lucigenin rather than luminol is used as the activator of chemiluminescence. The effect lessens in the presence of Mg2+ but not Ca2+. The data suggest the association of this effect with actin polymerization in leucocytes phagocytosing the latex particles.
KEY WORDS: pressure, hyperbaria, chemiluminescence, leucocytes, blood, luminol, lucigenin, actin, phagocytosis, latex