Effects of prolonged nitrous oxide exposure on hemopoietic stem cells in mice

The effects of prolonged exposure to nitrous oxide on the hemopoietic progenitor cells in bone marrow and spleen in mice were investigated. Fifty percent nitrous oxide caused a marked decrease in the number of pluripotent stem cells (CFU-S) and granulocyte-macro-phage progenitor cells (GM-CFC) in the spleen, whereas it caused only a slight decrease in these cells in the bone marrow. These results suggest that prolonged exposure to nitrous oxide induces damage in the splenic hemopoiesis in mice.