Secretion of the C factors C7, C6, and C3 by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and PBMCs was studied by ELISA and immunoblot. The release of C7 and C6 by PMNs during 24 h of culture was 16-fold and 6-fold higher, respectively, than the C3 release, with median concentrations of 50.2 ng/ml, 18.3 ng/ml, and 3.1 ng/ml, respectively. In PBMC cultures, C release was considerably lower, and there was a different secretory pattern with a 6-fold higher release of C3 compared with C7 and C6. Stimulation with PMA led to a more rapid and complete secretion of the components to the culture media, whereas treatment with unopsonized Candida species did not affect the release. PMN release of C factors was not dependent on protein biosynthesis, and there was no indication of a selective uptake of C7 from serum as demonstrated by incubating PMNs from a subject with allotype C7 N in C7 M serum. Thus, the C components were probably produced by the PMNs or their bone marrow precursors before ex vivo culture. In cell lysates of freshly isolated cells, median C7, C6, and C3 contents of 1 x 10(7) PMNs were 149.7, 60.1, and 10.4 ng/ml, respectively, whereas the corresponding values for 1 x 10(7) PBMCs were 3.2, 2.6, and 14.6 ng/ml, respectively. The C6 and C7 were shown to incorporate into the terminal complement complex, and their molecular integrity was supported by identical m.w. to C6 and C7 present in normal serum. PMNs may represent a major source of C7 and C6 and may be more important than monocytes or macrophages in contributing terminal C components at a site of inflammation. This suggests a new role for the PMN as a C membrane attack modulator.