Exogenous additions of prostaglandins variably alter the blastogenic response of B and T lymphocytes from different mice lymphoid organs

Abstract

Prostaglandins A1 and E2 enhance the 3H-thymidine (TdR) uptake in spleen cell cultures stimulated by two B-lymphocyte mitogens (E.coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and dextran sulfate (DXS) at concentrations ranging between 10(-8) and 10(-6) M. The same prostaglandin (PG) concentrations inhibited concanavalin A (Con A) activation of mouse spleen cells depleted or not from a glass-adherent prostaglandin-producing population of suppressor cells. After fractionation of spleen cells by nylon wool adherence, PGs diminished 3H-TdR uptake by nylon nonadherent (T-enriched) cells cultured in the presence of Con A and enhanced the activation of nylon adherent (B-enriched) cells by LPS. The proliferative response of thymic lymphocytes to Con A was drastically inhibited (70-95% by PGE2 10(-8)-10(-6) M. In cultures of purified bone marrow lymphocytes, PGE2 induced a dose-dependent inhibition of either LPS- or DXS-induced activation reaching a 30-40% inhibition at a PGE2 concentration of 10(-6) M. In the spleen, treatment of cells with anti-T sera and complement resulted in abrogation of PG-induced enhancement. Nevertheless, no inhibition of B-cell mitogenesis was observed in the presence of 10(-6) PGE2. From these results, it can be concluded that a different sensitivity of the proliferative response of lymphoid cells to exogenous PGs exists, depending on the subset (T or B) affected and/or the organ used as a source of these cells.