Inhibition and stimulation of rat thymocytes in vitro by partial hepatectomy

Male Sprague Dawley rats were partially hepatectomized. At different times after operation, their thymocytes were isolated and incubated for 5 hours at 37 degrees C in an RPMI medium with 10% rat control serum and their incorporation of 3HTdR was then determined. 1 and 2 days after partial hepatectomy, the thymocytes incorporate much less 3H TdR; from day 3 to day 10 a stimulation of proliferation was observed. Thymocytes of control animals incorporate much less 3HTdR when incubated with sera from animals 1 day to 4 days post partial hepatectomy. Corticosterone, cortisol, testosterone, alpha-fetoglobulin, putrescine, sperimidine, spermine and cadaverine do not influence the incorporation of labelled thymidine into control thymocytes during an incubation of 5 hours.