Irradiation of the Blood: Method for Reducing Lymphocytes in Blood and Spleen

Journal/Book: Reprinted from Scienc September 11 1964 Vol. 145 No. 3637 pages 1188-1189. 1964;

Abstract: BENJAMIN A. BARNES GORDON L. BROWNELL AND MARTIN H. FLAX Department of Surgery Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital Boston 14 Abstract Insertion of a beta-emitting source into the right atrium of the heart permits intensive irradiation of the circulating blond with subsequent depletion of lymphocytes in the peripheral blond and lymphoid Organs. The lymphocyte because of its relation to the immunologic response is the subject of experiments designed to test and define its critical role. Mc-Gregor and Gowans (1) by creating external thoracic duct fistulas of several days' duration demonstrated that in the rat such a fistula produces a peripheral lymphopenia and significantly a depletion of lymphocytes from the lymph nodes and the spleen. Such animals are altered in their immunologic response to foreign proteins and to skin homografts. Reduction in the peripheral circulating lymphocytes described by Cronkite et al. (2) followed extracorporeal irradiation of calf's blood that had been pumped through a spiral of Tygon tubing; after irradiation for 5 hours 90 percent of the blood received more than 1000 rad by random mixing. The lymphocyte population was reduced for several weeks judging by the decline in lymphocyte counts in the peripheral blood. Moreover immunologic responses in the calf were altered. Those studies attaining much the same end with dissimilar techniques suggested the advantages of a method capable of modifying the lymphocyte population for more extended periods; ... schö

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