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The local graft versus host reaction in the rat as a tool for drug mechanism studies
Author(s) -
BECK FRANCES J.,
LEVY L.,
WHITEHOUSE M. W.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1973.tb08375.x
Subject(s) - mechanism (biology) , drug , host (biology) , pharmacology , medicine , computational biology , biology , ecology , philosophy , epistemology
Summary1 A local graft versus host reaction in rats permits the evaluation of drug action on (i) donor (parental) animals and (ii) recipient animals (F 1 hybrid) prior to establishing a lymphoid cell graft to detect drugs which might attenuate immunocompetence over a prolonged period (e.g. steroids). 2 Treatment of the recipient animals after a lymphoid graft readily detects anti‐proliferative agents and may disclose other agents which interfere with the recognition of non‐self by viable graft cells. 3 Treatment of the cell graft in vitro before innoculation into the recipient animal permits the detection of alkylating agents, wihch effectively deactivate graft cells at non‐toxic concentrations. 4 Examples are given of how this reaction may be used to evaluate functionally the effects of chemical modification of the cell surfaces of lymphocytes and to detect active metabolites generated from a precursor drug (e.g. cyclophosphamide). 5 Some novel immunosuppressant drugs are described.