Induction of suppressor T cells in culture--II. Modification by adriamycin.

The present study was designed to examine the effects of Adriamycin treatment of spleen donor mice on the subsequent generation of the suppressor T cells induced in culture in the presence of fetal calf serum. When mice treated with Adriamycin (5 mg/kg; i.v.) 5 days before sacrifice were used as donors of the spleen cells, the suppressive activity which developed in culture was somewhat greater than that which developed with spleen cells from untreated mice; particularly in terms of suppression of PFC development. The suppressive activities of the cultured spleen cells from untreated and treated mice were equally sensitive to X-irradiation and anti-Thy 1.2 antibody plus complement treatment. When only those cells which were nonadherent to plastic were used in the suppressor generation culture, suppression did not develop until day 6 of culture. Again, cells from Adriamycin treated mice developed somewhat greater suppressive activity than that which developed with cells from untreated mice. The effects of Adriamycin treatment of the mice on the subsequent development of suppressive activity in culture was also dependent upon the day of drug administration. Finally, spleen cells from Adriamycin treated mice, also, developed somewhat greater suppressive activity in response to alloantigen but when used as the source of progenitor cytotoxic T cells they were less sensitive to suppression; particularly by alloantigen-induced suppressor cells. Possible correlation between Adriamycin induced modifications of both the development and function of suppressor T cells in culture and its reported modifications of CTL and phagocytic activities are discussed.