Effects of tilorone on hemopoietic stem cells and on the development of Friend leukemia

Hematological effects of tilorone, an interferon inducer, on the hematopoietic cell system of normal CBA/Ca mice and on the development of Friend virus (FV-P)-induced polycythemia in DBA/2 mice were studied. In normal mice 80 mg/kg IP had a marked depressive effect on pluripotent (CFU-s), granuloid committed (CFU-C), and erythroid committed (CFU-E) stem cells with regeneration between days 5 and 12. In bone marrow smears only lymphopenia was detected. Treatment of mice before FV-P infection caused a slight retardation in the development of the splenomegaly and the transformation of bone marrow cells to Ep independence. Repeated treatment after FV-P infection also reduced the increase in spleen weight and the development of reticulocytosis, but the Ep independence of bone marrow and spleen cells was not influenced. In vitro exposure of normal cells and cells from FV-P-infected animals to the drug showed the same sensitivity of colony growth in normal as well as in Ep-independent CFU-E. The action of the drug on Friend leukemia is at least in part considered a toxic effect on the hematopoietic stem cell system.