Various studies suggest that humoral substances, capable of stimulating CFU-S proliferation, are released into the plasma in response to depletion of the CFU-S population by cytotoxic substances such as cyclophosphamide. To test this hypothesis, we placed 0.25 ml of a murine marrow cell suspension with an equal volume of plasma from either normal mice or from mice previously injected with 5 mg of cyclophosphamide into cellulose dialysis tubing. These tubes were then incubated in the peritoneal cavity of mice for 1–7 days. The CFU-S content of the tubes was then assayed. The CFu-S content of suspensions in normal mouse plasma declined to one-fourth of the initial value after 7 days, whereas those in plasma from mice that received cyclophosphamide 7 days previously were essentially unchanged in number. These data suggest that 7 days after injection of cyclophosphamide, the plasma contains a factor that either prevents death of CFU-S or stimulates them to proliferate. An alternative explanation is that normal plasma contains an inhibitor of CFU-S growth that is lacking in plasma of cyclophosphamide-treated mice.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.