The effect of desferrioxamine on the proliferative response of rat lymphocytes stimulated with various mitogens in vitro.

This paper reports experiments designed to evaluate the effect of desferrioxamine on lymphocytes obtained from the spleen of Sprague-Dawley rats. The results showed that desferrioxamine inhibits the proliferative response of lymphocytes stimulated by concanavalin A or pokeweed mitogen, the effect being proportional to the dose used, and being maximal at the end of the culture period. To exert its effect, desferrioxamine has to be present from the initiation of the cultures--its addition 24 h later markedly reduced its inhibitory effect. Studies of cell viability indicated that the inhibition was not due to toxicity. Lymphocytes obtained from young animals (4 to 12-week-old) were more sensitive to desferrioxamine than older animals (13 to 18-week-old). Saturation of desferrioxamine with iron abolished its effect, suggesting a direct relationship between chelating properties and inhibition, and reinforcing the hypothesis that iron plays an important role in the process of cell division.