Quantification and Visualization of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) from Murine Bone Marrow-Derived Neutrophils

Neutrophils are some of the first leukocytes to respond to inflammatory stimuli. Once recruited, these cells are equipped with an assortment of proteolytic enzymes and antimicrobial factors that disarm and degrade pathogens. Neutrophils employ a highly novel mechanism to contain and trap bacteria in the local inflammatory microenvironment, termed neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). During NET formation, neutrophils eject weblike structures of chromatin, which captures and immobilizes invading pathogens. In this chapter, we describe protocols to isolate bone marrow-derived neutrophils from mice. We further describe in vitro methods to spectrophotometrically quantify, immunolabel, and visualize NET structures.