Conclusions
The magnitude of the immune functional activity of neutrophils varies with the season of the year and is decreased in winter.
Methods
The bactericidal activity and adhesive capacity of neutrophils, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and CD11b/CD18 molecule expression level were investigated. The investigated neutrophils were divided into two groups based on the time of blood collection: the winter season with short days and the summer season with long days.
Results
We found seasonal variation in measurements of all the analyzed functional responses of neutrophils to stimuli. The strongest adhesion, as well as maximum values of ROS production, was presented by neutrophils isolated from the summer group. The highest bactericidal activity of neutrophils was also observed in blood donors from summer group. Conclusions: The magnitude of the immune functional activity of neutrophils varies with the season of the year and is decreased in winter.