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. 1978 Dec;34(3):393–401.

Effect of methotrexate on the response of rat lymphocytes to phytohaemagglutinin

A Mansour, Julia A Henderson, D S Nelson
PMCID: PMC1537544  PMID: 743808

Abstract

The proliferative responses of rat peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and spleen cells to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) were studied following either single or multiple (daily for 4 days) doses of methotrexate (MTX). Lymphopenia developed 72 hr after a single dose of MTX. Multiple doses of MTX caused a dose-limited lymphopenia. In vitro, MTX depressed the response of PBL but enhanced the response of spleen cells to PHA. The administration of single or multiple doses of MTX led to increased responses of the remaining PBL and spleen cells. Folinic acid protected against the toxicity of multiple doses of MTX and the previously enhanced spleen cells were less responsive. In some conditions MTX treatment led to the enhancement of PBL responses by the serum of treated rats; in other conditions serum became inhibitory. MTX inhibited the primary antibody response to sheep erythrocytes. These studies demonstrate that MTX treatment initially enhances the proliferative response of lymphocytes to PHA and then causes depression at the onset of lymphopenia; that serum after MTX treatment has a variable effect on lympho-proliferative responses; and also that MTX is selectively more depressive of antibody formation than of responsiveness to PHA.

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Selected References

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