Augmentation of lymphocyte surface immunogenicity following treatment with dimethyl-sulphoxide

A mixed leucocyte culture is an in vitro tool for assessing differences in cell surface antigenicity between two cell populations. The MLC technique has been used to assess alterations in immunogenicity of rat lymphocytes, when exposed to the agent dimethyl-sulphoxide. Using four different rat strains, DMSO has been shown to be a surface-active agent that significantly increases the immunogenicity of both splenic and peripheral blood rat lymphocytes, as assessed by an increase in MLC reactivity. No augmentation of MLC reactivity is seen when syngeneic lymphocytes are used in the culture system as both effector and stimulator lymphocytes, thus confirming the immunological nature of the enhancement seen in allogeneic cultures.