Effect of cyclophosphamide on the immune response to sheep erythrocytes in the mouse. II. A study of enzyme activities in the draining lymph node.

Young adult CFW mice, injected with sheep erythrocytes, were treated with cyclophosphamide and sacrificed at different times. The activity of acid phosphatase and for non-specific esterase was measured by semi-quantitative methods in smears prepared from cell suspension of draining lymph node. In cyclophosphamide-treated mice was noted a significant decrease in acid phosphatase activity in lymphoid cells, expressed both as average activity in single lymphoid cell and a decrease in proportion of cells exhibiting enzyme activity. Also a short-term decrease was observed in activity of non-specific esterase caused both by disappearance of highly active large lymphoid and blast cells as well as decrease in percentage of enzyme-positive small lymphocytes.