ACTIVATION OF MURINE THYMOCYTES IN VIVO: PART II: STUDY OF BLASTOGENESIS, THE SYNTHESIS OF MACROMOLECULES AND THE CYTOTOXIC RESPONSE AFTER STIMULATION WITH PHYTOHEMAGGLUTININ

Abstract

To determine whether the polyclonal
immunomodulator, Phytohemagglutinin (PHA),
stimulates murine lymphocytes in vivo and
causes cytotoxic differentiation, we studied
blastogenesis and the concomitant synthesis of
macromolecules (DNA, RNA and protein) by
lymphocytes at different hours after injection of
PHA in mice. 51Cr release assay was also performed
by using allogeneic cells as target to
determine whether lymphocytes after stimulation
in vivo by this activator undergo cytotoxic differentiation.
Out of the five doses of
Phytohemagglutinin (2.5 μg, 5 μg, 10 μg, 20 μg
and 50 μg per mouse) a marginally higher peak
of blastogenesis was observed with 20 μg dose at
48hr. No significant peak was observed in synthesis
of macromolecules or with cytotoxicity.