Effects of cyclophosphamide and cortisone on the virus-immune response characteristics of thymocytes and the early reconstitution profiles of P → F1 chimeras

Abstract

Thymocytes from normal adult mice that have been treated 1 or 2 days previously with a low dose of cyclophosphamide (30 or 40 mg/kg), hydrocortisone acetate (2.5 mg), or hydrocortisone succinate (5.0 mg) show an enhanced potential to generate vaccinia-immune cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) when stimulated for 6 days in irradiated, virus-infected recipients. However, the capacity of thymocytes (though not of spleen cells) to develop such CTL activity is lost within 8 days of treatment with the depot drug, hydrocortisone acetate. In contrast, thymocytes from mice treated 8 days previously with hydrocortisone succinate show response patterns equivalent to those found for normal adults, with the i..