Effect of a small (‘silent’) rate beta-irradiation field on the response of human neutrophil outer zeta potential to adrenergic and adenosinergic ligands

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the zeta potential (ZP) response of human neutrophils to well-characterized ligands of adrenergic and adenosine receptors under a small rate β-radiation (SRβR) field.Materials and methods The cells were exposed to ionizing radiation by adding 14C-leucine to the cell incubation medium at dose rates ranging from 0.01 to 100 μGy·h−1 at 10-fold intervals over 1 h. The ZP was calculated from the electrophoretic mobility value using Zeta for Windows.Results and conclusions As the dose rate increases, the surface negative charge of neutrophils also increases, and the curve passes through a maximum at 10 μGy·h−1. It was shown that the SRβR increases neutrophil ZP due to the dose rate, rather than the absorbed dose, and depends on the interaction of the tested ligands with the plasma membrane as a whole, and not only with the targets of these ligands. Most ligands induced unidirectional changes in ZP within the applied concentrations, the direction of which was ligand-dependent. Only yohimbine showed concentration-dependent, oppositely directed ZP changes. Most ZP responses to ligands were modified by the radiation. The data obtained indicate that alteration of the response of the outer layer of the plasma membrane of human neutrophils to receptor ligands under the influence of a small rate radiation field can alter the ZP-dependent immune functions of neutrophils, at least in vitro.