Relationship between phagocytic activity of macrophages and delayed footpad reaction against syngeneic testicular cells.

The delayed footpad reaction against syngeneic testicular cells was studied in cyclophosphamide (CY)-pretreated mice whose mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) was blocked with colloidal carbon or stimulated with Corynebacterium parvum (C. parvum). The delayed footpad reaction was augmented by MPS-blockade, whereas it was depressed by MPS-stimulation. It was observed that syngeneic testicular cells were phagocytized and degraded more effectively by C. parvum-stimulated macrophages in vitro and that the testicular antigen phagocytized by C. parvum-stimulated macrophages proved to become less immunogenic in cell transfer experiments.