The effect of neutrophil migration and prolonged neutrophil contact on epithelial permeability was examined. Although neutrophil migration was not associated with a change in epithelial permeability, prolonged neutrophil-epithelial contact following migration resulted in an increase in epithelial permeability. These results were not altered by catalase, a specific neutrophil elastase inhibitor, methoxysuccinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Val-chloromethyl ketone or cyclohexamide. This suggests that neutrophil migration does not occur via an H2O2-induced reversible mechanism of junctional opening, which we describe herein.