Lymphoid-organ variations and blastogenic responses of splenocytes in estrogen-progestogen treated virgin and...

A moderate reduction in size and nucleated cell number was found in spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes from virgin and multiparous female mice on estrogen-progestogen treatment. Whereas the thymus of the multiparous animals did not show any change due to this treatment, the number of bone marrow cells in the treated virgin animals was higher than that in control mice. An enhancement of splenocyte blastogenesis in the presence of Con A, PHA, and LPS was produced by the hormone treatment; it was independent of the age and degree of thymic involution. In DXS-activated lymphoid cells a significant differential behavior was observed; thus a clear depletion of DXS-sensitive lymphocytes was detected in the spleen cell cultures from drug-treated multiparous females.