Cell-mediated destruction of cells grown on artificial capillaries

This investigation was designed to determine the conditions required to assess cell-mediated destruction of target L-cells grown on artificial capillaries. In control cultures that contained L-cells alone, solid nodules with a diameter of 1 mm as well as dense cellular growth could be visually observed by the 12th day of culture. Alloimmune spleen cells from both immunized and normal C57BL/10 mice were shown to be capable of destroying tritiated thymidine-labeled L-cells growing on artificial capillaries. The destruction of target cells grown as monolayers in capillary culture correlated well with monolayer cultures incubated in 16-mm plastic tissue culture wells. When target cells were grown in capillary culture for 5 days before the addition of effector cells, significant destruction by normal effector cells was not observed until the 15th day of culture whereas that mediated by immune cells was observed by the 7th day. The possible effects of cell-culturing conditions on the kinetics of cell-mediated destruction in capillary chambers are discussed.