Effect of dimethyl sulfoxide on hematopoietic stem cells in mice.

The effects of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) were studied in irradiated BALB/c mice to see if DMSO has a stimulatory effect on hematopoietic stem cells. The spleen colony forming technique was employed. DMSO given after a lethal dose of radiation enhanced post-irradiation recovery and survival. The erythroid to granuloid spleen colony ratio was higher in the DMSO treated group compared to the controls. There was some evidence of an increase in the endogenous formation of erythroid colonies after DMSO treatment (0.38%). However, DMSO had no effect on exogenous erythroid colony formation; rather, it inhibited granuloid differentiation.