Ovarian influence on mitogen responsiveness of lymphocytes from mice neonatally exposed to diethylstilbestrol.

Treatment of neonatal female mice with diethylstilbestrol (DES) resulted in a reduced response of spleen lymphocytes to concanavalin A (Con A) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Ovariectomy or ovariectomy plus estradiol treatment had no influence on the response to Con A in either control or DES-treated females. Ovariectomy reduced the response to LPS in control animals and eliminated the difference between control and DES-treated females. Estradiol treatment enhanced the response of ovariectomized control females to LPS and restored the difference between control and DES-treated animals. Comparison of the mitogen responsiveness during various stages of the estrous cycle showed a tendency for the response to be augmented at proestrus and metestrus, although the differences were not significant.