title: Stimulation of rat graft-versus-host reactions by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid.
abstract: The effect of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) treatment on the rat graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR) initiated in parental to F1 hybrid strain combinations differing at either major or minor histocompatibility determinants were studied in three different protocols. 1 A GVHR initiated in juvenile (LBN)F1 recipients and treated concurrently with poly I:C alone produced neither splenomegaly nor dermatitis in these juvenile rats. (2) Pretreatment of L donors with a single injection of poly I:C 3 days before initiation of the GVHR enhanced resultant splenomegaly in the newborn (LBN)F1 recipients. A high poly I:C dose was inhibitory. (3) Newborn recipients which received lymphocytes from L donors and which were concurrently treated with poly I:C developed dermatitis at an accelerated rate. However, poly I:C alone given to newborns mimicked the GVHR by induction of a syndrome characterized by splenomegaly, dermatitis, thymic involution, and body growth retardation. The parental L and (LF)F1 hybrid strain combination differing only at a minor histocompatibility determinant or in an isogenic hybrid combination (LBN)F1 leads to (LBN)F(1) developed no GVHR when recipients were treated with poly I:C. We conclude that poly I:C can stimulate a rat GVHR initiated with unsensitized donor cells differing at a major histocompatibility locus.
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000276:immunology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006087:Graft vs Host Reaction / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000401:mortality; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000637:transplantation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D011070:Poly I-C / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013154:Spleen / Q000637:transplantation; D013163:Splenomegaly / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000473:pathology; D014181:Transplantation Immunology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D011070:Poly I-C