[Stimulating effect of polyion on the production of cytolytic T lymphocytes in a cell culture in vitro].

Introduction of polyion "vegetan" at the concentrations varying from 20 to 100 micrograms/ml into mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) with insufficient antigenic stimulus, low immunogenic MLC, for the whole of the incubation period, leads to 30-70% increase in T-lymphocyte cytolytic activity. The effect of vegetan on the cytolytic activity of T-lymphocytes from normal MLC is less marked. In the in vivo model of primary synthesis of antibodies against heterologous erythrocyte antigens, vegetant causes 20-50-fold enhancement of a weak immune response compared to 1.5-2-fold when the latter approaches the highest levels. These findings indicate an inverse relationship between the immunostimulating activity of vegetan and the levels of the immune response, the latter being the target of activation. Vegetan was shown to induce more than 2-fold increase in the proliferation in both types of MLC as well as in mouse spleen lymphocyte monoculture. It is reasonable to propose that the preparation may stimulate the proliferation of both T-killers and other lymphocyte subpopulations.