Age-related changes in the content of stromal clonogenic cells in hemopoietic and lymphoid organs

The content of stromal clonogenic cells in hemopoietic and lymphoid organs of mice and guinea pigs decreases with age. This drop is most pronounced in the thymus of mice and guinea pigs and in mouse spleen (more than 12-, 75-, and 8-fold, respectively). The contents of stromal clonogenic cells in the bone marrow of old mice and in the spleen of old guinea pigs are reduced by 50 and 40%, respectively, in comparison with young animals. These data indicate that the content of committed and inducible osteogenic precursors can decrease with age. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 127, No. 5, pp. 550–553, May, 1999     

Early blood system response to infectious agents

Early systemic blood responses to various infectious agents (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, herpes simplex virus) were studied. Nonspecific changes in the blood typical of stress syndrome and enhanced apoptosis of in the bone marrow and lymphoid organs were seen 6 hours after injection of bacterial agents. Injection ofE. coli induced marked depression of hemopoietic precursors and extensive apoptosis of bone marrow, thymic, and splenic cells. Herpes simplex virus induced only minor changes in the blood system. Translated fromByullenten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 128, No. 10, pp. 425–428, October, 1999     

Effect of somatotropic hormone on autoimmune responses induced in mice of various genotypes by heated syngeneic erythrocytes

After a single injection of 1·10⁹ heated syngeneic erythrocytes into BALB/c and C57BL mice, antierythrocytic autoantibodies appear, the weight of the lymphoid organs is increased, and lymphoid-reticular hyperplasia is observed on the 13th day. These changes are more marked in BALB/c mice. During the development of the autoimmune response changes occurred in the number of E- and EAC-rosette-forming cells in the thymus and spleen and in the intensity of the response to immunization by sheep's red cells andEscherichia coli endotoxin, when distinct differences were observed between the strains. Injection of somatotropic hormone in a dose of 5 mg/kg daily for 10 days reduced the degree of development of the autoimmune response in mice of both strains, but more strongly in BALB/c mice.Laboratory of Immunomorphology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Immunology , Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Siberian Branch. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR V. P. Kaznacheev.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 83, No. 3, pp. 305–308, March, 1977.     

Induced cell death and its role in hemopoietic hypoplasia after cytostatic treatment

The morphological signs of apoptosis in the bone-marrow cells and thymocytes, indices of cellularity in these organs and in peripheral blood and the absolute number of committed bone marrow cells-precursors have been studied on CBA mice injected with Etoposid (1/2 LD₅₀). The results of the study suggest that reduced cellular counts observed in the hemopoietic organs 3–6 h after the cytostatic injection are due to Etoposid-induced apoptosis. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 127, No. 1, pp. 39–42, January 1999     

The immune response in lymphoid organs of rat: A cytochemical study

Variations in the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were studied, using the light microscope (LM), and cytochemical reactions in lymphoid organs (lymph node, spleen, thymus) of rats, up to day 5 following Escherichia coli immunisation. Increased levels of LDH and DHFR in the T-area of lymph nodes and of spleen were seen from day 2 to day 4 postimmunisation. The SDH reaction in lymph nodes and in the spleen increased during days 2 and 3 but decreased on day 4 postimmunisation. Considerable increases in the activities of LDH and SDH were seen in thymus at all times postimmunisation. The DHFR reaction product also increased but less markedly. No reaction for ALP was observed in lymphocytes of lymphoid organs studied. Following E. coli immunisation, there is an increase in glycolytic and respiratory metabolism, and in the synthesis of proteins in T-dependent areas of lymphoid organs. These increases are correlated with immune activation of T-cells in these organs.     

Reaction of different functional zones in mouse thymus and spleen lymphoid tissue to γ-irradiation

It is shown that immune organs respond to single γ-radiation of 6.9 Gy in a cyclic manner. Acute reaction characterized by spontaneous lymphocyte lysis in the thymus and spleen develops on day 1 postirradiation and takes 3 and 7 days, respectively. This is followed by enhancement of thymocyte mitotic activity and migration of young cells to the thymic cortex and splenic lymphoid tissue. Twenty-one day postirradiation lymphoid cell populations in the thymus and spleen recover to 70–90 and 55–70%, respectively. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 125, No. 4, pp. 381–384, April, 1998     

Effects of prenatal hypoxia on the formation of immune deficiency in newborn mice

Fetal hypoxia in the II trimester of pregnancy caused immunodeficiency in newborn mice: inhibition of antibody production to sheep erythrocytes and disturbances in migration of early hemopoietic precursors from the bone marrow to the spleen. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 129, No. 6, pp. 664–666, June, 2000     

Immunomodulating,antianemic, and adaptogenic effects of polysaccharides from plaster clover (Melilotus officinalis)

Daily oral administration of polysaccharides extracted from plaster clover plants increased physical endurance (as determined in swimming tests) and body weight in mice and rats, stimulated the recovery of hematopoiesis in rats with experimentally produced lead anemia, and boosted the immune response to rat erythrocytes in mice, causing pronounced changes in the erythrocytic and leukocytic series and particularly in immunocompetent organs such as the thymus and spleen. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 121, No. 6, pp. 661–663, June, 1996     

Morphological and Functional Peculiarities of Lymphoid Cells in Mice of Different Strains

We revealed differences in quantitative composition and functional activity of lymphoid cells in intact mice of different strains. Cellularity and counts of lymphoid elements in hemopoietic and lymphoid organs, proliferative activity of T and B lymphocytes, and counts of CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes in the spleen were minimum in CC57W and Balb/c mice and maximum in CBA/CaLac and DBA/2 mice. The highest absolute content of lymphoid elements in the spleen was detected in Balb/c mice, while CC57W mice had the highest content of these elements in the thymus.     

Kinetics of hemopoietic clones in sublethally irradiated mice

Hemopoiesis in sublethally irradiated mice is provided by a succession of clones of hemopoietic cells containing unique radioactive markers. Dozens of clones with short life-span (not more than 4 months) are functioning during mouse life. Ten percent of these clones are long-lived and can be revealed during 20 months. These clones are formed exclusively by bone marrow stem cells in the G₀-period of the cell cycle. A new structure of hemopoietic stem cell population is discussed. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 127, No. 6, pp. 693–696, June, 1999     

Cholinomimetics boost the immunological mechanisms of radioresistance

Acetylcholine and aceclidine reduce the mortality of mice after irradiation. This effect is evidently due to activation of M-cholinoreactive structures leading to an increase of the number of colony-forming units in the spleen, migration of T and B lymphocytes from lymphoid organs, and boosting of antibody production and of antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 121, No. 5, pp. 541–543, May, 1996     

Daily variations of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and β-adrenoceptors in the blood and lymphoid organs of intact rats

Daily variations of catecholamine concentrations in the blood and lymphoid organs in Wistar rats were revealed. Daily fluctuations of epinephrine and norepinephrine levels in the spleen and blood were synchronous. Circadian variations of epinephrine in the thymus, lymph nodes, and plasma were synphasic. A relationship between neurotransmitter concentrations and expression of β-adrenoceptors on thymic and splenic lymphocytes was noted. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 128, No. 9, pp. 344–346, September, 1999     

Rosette formation by human,guinea pig,and rat lymphocytes with spermatozoa

Cells forming rosettes with homologous or heterologous spermatozoa were found in the thymus, spleen, and bone marrow of sexually mature guinea pigs and of 14–30-week-old human fetuses, and also in the peripheral blood of men suffering from sterility. On the development of autoimmune orchitis after measured trauma to the testis in rats or after immunization of guinea pigs with testicular tissue homogenate mixed with Freund's complete adjuvant, cells forming rosettes with spermatozoa were found to appear in the spleen and thymus of the rats, and their number in the lymphoid organs of the guinea pigs increased. These procedures had no effect on the number of cells forming rosettes with sheep red blood cells in the lymphoid organs of rats and guinea pigs. The possible use of this newly discovered ability of human and animal lymphocytes to form spontaneous and immune rosettes with spermatozoa as a means of assessing the degree of differentiation of lymphocytes and of their sensitization to spermatozoal antigens in cases of disturbance of spermatogenesis of autoimmune nature is discussed.Laboratory of Human Embryonic Histogenesis, Institute of Human Morphology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR A. P. Avtsyn.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 83, No. 4, pp. 464–467, April 1977.     

Recovery of colony-forming capacity of murine stem hemopoietic and blood cells under the effect of 1-β-D-arabinofuranosyl cytosine

The cytostatic 1-β-D-arabinofuranosyl cytosine (cytarabine) in a dose of 200 mg/kg decreases blood count of nuclear cells in mice, to 60% and inhibits colony formation in the spleen for 8 days. The Resist repair system developed by us normalizes the total count within 3 days after cytarabine injection and repairs colony-forming activity of stem hemopoietic cells within 5 days, if Resist is injected after the, cytostatic, and within 8 days, if it is injected before cytarabine. Thus, Resist restores, immunity and hemopoiesis systems in cancer patients treated by radio- and chemotherapy. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 126, No. 7, pp. 83–85, July, 1998     

Modulation of B and T cell subsets in mice treated with fractionated total lymphoid irradiation. III. Spleen and thymus dependency of B cell maturation processes

The role of spleen and thymus in maturation processes of B cell subpopulations was examined using mice which underwent fractionated total lymphoid irradiation (TLI). (BALB/BL)F₁ mice received 200 rds lymphoid irradiation daily for 8 days. Mice were spleen-shielded or -unshielded, or thymus-shielded or -unshielded during the irradiation. One day after termination of the irradiation, TLI-treated unshielded mice were reconstituted with 10 × 10⁶ spleen, thymus or bone marrow cells of normal untreated syngeneic mice. Two and a half months after termination of the treatment, the ability of the treated mice to produce in vivo anti-trinitrophenyl (TNP)-Ficoll antibodies, and the capability of spleen cells of those mice to respond in vitro to dextran sulfate and lipopolysaccharide was checked. In parallel, stained spleen cells were analyzed on the fluorescence-activated cell sorter. The results indicate that B cell maturation occurs only in mice where the spleens were shielded during TLI-treatment or in TLI-treated mice reconstituted with spleen cells of normal untreated mice. In these mice, the light scatter and the fluorescence distribution profiles were the same as those obtained from spleen cells of control mice: the treated mice gave a high anti-TNP-Ficoll antibody response and the proliferative response of the cells was low to dextran sulfate and high to lipopolysaccharide. Thymus shielding during TLI treatment or reconstitution of TLI-treated mice with thymus or bone marrow cells could not abolish the blockage of B cell maturation processes. These findings indicate that the spleen plays an obligatory role in B cell subset maturation pathways, whereas the thymus appears to play no essential role in these processes.     

Changes in H-alloantigen-recognition function of lymphocytes after hydrocortisone administration in mice

The ability of spleen, thymus, and bone-marrow cells of intact (control) and hydrocortisone-treated (experiment) CBA mice to induce a lymph node graft versus host reaction (GVHR) in (CBA×C57BL)F₁ hybrids was compared. After injection of hydrocortisone into the donors in a dose of 2.5 mg per mouse their spleen cells induced a more active GVHR, as shown by an increase in the lymph node indices and in the percentage of immunoblasts in the regional (popliteal) lymh node compared with the control. After transfer of thymus cells of hydrocortisone-treated donors the number of immunoblasts was higher than, but the weight of the lymph node was almost the same as in the control. Conversely, after injection of bone marrow cells from hydrocortisone-treated donors, the lymph node enlarged whereas the percentage of immunoblasts did not increase above the control. Consequently, when the increase in the hydrocortisone level is exogenous in nature, the cell populations of the spleen and thymus contain a higher proportion of T lymphocytes, which respond by proliferation to contact with H alloantigens.Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR V. P. Kaznacheev.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 84, No. 10, pp. 458–459, October, 1977.     

Role of the hormonal status of the father in involution of the thymus in the progeny

This study was aimed at assessing the consequences of the influence of exogenous androgens on the epididymal sperm of fathers for their progeny. A single injection of testosterone or dihydrotestosterone to adult rats caused a transient increase of the level of the corresponding androgen, later leading to augmentation of the androgen-dependent organs and loss of thymus weight. Hyperandrogeny and earlier age-associated involution of the thymus were observed in the male progeny of androgenized males of reproductive age. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 121, No. 5, pp. 562–564, May, 1996     

Age-specific features of formation of hemopoietic microenvironment by stromal precursors from bone marrow of thymectomized mice

Heterotopic transplantation of bone marrow demonstrated that the content of stromal precursor cells capable of hemopoietic microenvironment transfer does not depend on thymus function. Thymectomy of bone marrow donors involves a decrease in the size of foci formed in young donors and an increase in old recipients. The results indicate a thymus-dependent regulation of proliferation of stromal precursors and/or their factor-sensitive category, determining the proliferation of recirculating stem hemopoietic cells. The size of ectopic hemopoiesis focus depends on the age of recipient. Transplantation of syngeneic thymus under renal capsule of thymectomized mice abolished the effect of thymectomy. Osteogenic activity of stromal precursors correlates with the age of bone marrow donors. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 124, No. 4, pp. 457–459, April, 1998     

In-vivo modulation of thymus-derived lymphocytes with monoclonal antibodies in mice. I. Effect of anti-Thy-1 antibody on the tissue distribution of lymphocytes.

A procedure is described for the in vivo removal of all detectable T lymphocytes from spleen and lymph nodes in mice. A single intraperitoneal injection of monoclonal anti-Thy-1 antibody into mice leads to rapid depletion of functional T cells from peripheral lymphoid organs, but not thymus. The extent of T-cell depletion is dependent on the cytotoxic titre of the anti-Thy-1 antibody used. Antibody with a median cytotoxic titre greater than 10(6) causes the complete removal of cells bearing Thy-1, Lyt-1 and Lyt-2 surface antigens from peripheral lymphoid populations in 3 days. Eight days after treatment Thy-1+, Lyt-1+ and Lyt-2+ cells begin to reappear in these organs. Splenic B cells, assayed by the expression of surface immunoglobulin (sIg) and by mitogenic responsiveness to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), are not affected by this treatment. The monoclonal anti-Thy-1 antibody does not appear to penetrate thymus tissue and bind to thymocytes. Anti-Thy-1 antibody, but not F(ab')2 is required for in-vivo T-cell depletion. These findings indicate that anti-Thy-1 antibody causes the removal of Thy-1+ cells from peripheral lymphoid tissue, and as the circulating levels of anti-Thy-1 antibody decrease, cells from the thymus repopulate the thymus-dependent areas of the depleted lymphoid organs.     

A study of the lymph-node type of graft versus host reaction in mice

A local form of the graph versus host reaction (GVHR) was induced in adult (CBA×C57BL)F₁ hybrid mice by subcutaneous injection of semiallogeneic spleen, thymus, or bone marrow cells from CBA mice into the right hind footpad. The criteria of activity of the GVHR were an increase in the number of blast forms in the region of popliteal lymph node and in its weight 7 days after transplantation of cells. After transplantation of 5×10⁶ and 20×10⁶ spleen cells the absolute weight of the regional lymph node was increased by 3–5 times and was significantly higher than in the control (injection of living syngeneic or fragmented semiallogeneic cells from the same source). By contrast with the control, in the experimental animals the effect clearly depended directly on the dose of transplanted cells. Enlargement of the lymph nodes was accompanied by the regular appearance of blast forms in them. Thymus and bone marrow cells had a much weaker action than spleen cells.Department of General Pathology, Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR Siberian Division, Novosibirsk. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR V. P. Kaznacheev.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 81, No. 3, pp. 338–339, March, 1976.