Mononuclear Cells in Exudative Malignant Pleural Effusions

The aims of this study were to develop a methodology for the isolation of highly enriched mononuclear phagocyte populations from exudative malignant pleural effusions (EMPE) and to characterize the phenotype and functional properties of these cells. Pleural effusion mononuclear cells (PEMC) were isolated by Ficoll centrifugation of EMPE and transudative pleural effusions and allowed to adhere to plastic for 1 h to obtain a pleural effusion mononuclear adherent cell (PEMAC) fraction. Only 66.0±4.2 percent of PEMAC ingested latex particles, indicating that a significant proportion of PEMAC were not phagocytic cells. Latex-positive PEMAC had the morphologic appearance of macrophages and staine…