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. 1983 Feb;15(2):203–209. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1983.tb01487.x

Effects of azathioprine on the human mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR)

S A Al-Safi, J L Maddocks
PMCID: PMC1427859  PMID: 6221745

Abstract

1 Azathioprine (36 μM) caused nearly complete and consistent inhibition of the mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR).

2 The inhibitory effect of azathioprine (36 μM) on the MLR decreased with increasing delay of drug addition.

3 At 36 μM azathioprine was more inhibitory (34%) than 6-mercaptopurine.

4 The addition of red blood cells or glutathione decreased but did not abolish the difference in activity between azathioprine and 6-MP on the MLR.

5 The inhibitory effect of azathioprine or 6-MP on the human MLR was partially reversed after 24 h by washing.

6 Dithiothreitol (DTT) did not modify the reversibility of azathioprine inhibition by washing.

7 Restimulation of the washed azathioprine treated MLR cultures after 24 h by the same or different allogeneic stimulating lymphocytes had no effect.

8 The responding and stimulating lymphocytes were affected to the same extent by azathioprine.

9 These results suggest that azathioprine does not inhibit the MLR by deleting antigen stimulated lymphocytes. They would be more in keeping with an action on the lymphocyte membrane.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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