Effect of Intra-arterial and Intravenous Application of Prostaglandin E1 on Neutrophil Function in Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease

In peripheral arterial occlusive disease systemic changes in neutrophil function suggestive of cell activation have been found [10]. Furthermore, it has been shown that intermittent claudication causes additional local alterations of neutrophil function [12]. Recent experimental results suggest that neutrophil activation may promote interactions between leucocytes, platelets, and endothelial cells [2, 3, 5, 6, 8]. These cell-cell interactions appear to involve an ongoing release of predominantly leucocyte-derived toxic compounds [15], resulting in progressive microvascular injury during ischaemia.