Use of 51Cr-labeled mononuclear cells for measuring the cellular immune response in mouse lungs.

Spleen cells labeled with 51Cr were used in sensitized syngeneic mice to measure the degree of mononuclear cell infiltration into antigen-challenged tissues. With this method, increased cellular infiltration was found after footpad challenge of mice sensitized with sheep erythrocyte, Escherichia coli, and BCG antigens. Cellular response also was determined by using this technique in the lungs of mice sensitized with sheep erythrocytes and BCG. This procedure offers the opportunity to measure cellular infiltration, whether due to cellular or humoral influences, in tissues not easily accessible to conventional immunological manipulation.