Induction of the Lupus Erythematosus (“L.E.”) Cell in vitro in Peripheral Blood *

In 1948, Hargraves, Richmond, and Morton2 described a new type of cell observed in bone marrow preparations of patients with acute disseminated lupus erythematosus. This cell appears to be a mature polymorphonuclear leukocyte which has within its cytoplasm a large homogeneous mass of blue staining material which displaces the nucleus to the periphery of the cell. Since the cell has been observed only in patients with acute lupus erythematosus, these investigators have called it the "L.E." cell. In these same preparations they described other cellular forms which they thought might be precursors in the formation of the L.E. cell. In a subsequent article1 the same investigators described the production in vitro of the L.E. cell phenomenon by incubating normal bone marrow with the plasma from patients with acute disseminated lupus erythematosus. Haserick and Bortz' confirmed the in vitro production of the L.E. cell and suggested that this be used as a diagnostic test. Following the report by Sundberg and Lick' that they had observed the L.E. cell in the peripheral blood of patients with acute lupus erythematosus, Hargraves1 also noted the presence of these cells in peripheral blood preparations in very small numbers. However, it was necessary to centrifuge the heparinized or citrated venous blood in a specially designed flask in order to have an adequate "buffy coat" from which to make the smear. The present investigation was carried out in an attempt to produce the L.E. cell in the peripheral blood by incubating the cellular elements of normal whole blood with plasma from patients with acute disseminated lupus erythematosus. The leukopenia usually seen in acute lupus erythematosus presents a problem because of the small number of leukocytes available for examination during the search for the L.E. cell. By the method of using the "buffy coat" from the peripheral blood of the normal subject which had been incubated with plasma from a case of acute disseminated lupus erythematosus the probability of finding the L.E. cell seemed more favorable.