title: In vitro stimulation of murine lymphoid cell cultures by levamisole.
abstract: Levamisole has been reported to act as an immunological adjuvant. Experiments reported here on the effect of this agent on a variety of murine lymphoid culture systems were designed to gain an insight into its mechanism of action. We have found levamisole to be a weak mitogen for mouse spleen cells producing a dose related response which peaks at 48 hr in culture. The drug acted to augment the response of spleen cells to sub-optimal concentrations of concanavalin A, but had no unusual effect on the lipopolysaccharide stimulation of B-cell DNA synthesis in vitro. Levamisole was directly stimulatory on enriched T-cell populations and was found to have two actions: (1) to stimulate a subpopulation of T cells and (2) to augment the response of suboptimal mitogen concentrations of concanavalin A. In addition, we have found that murine thymocytes stimulated by concanavalin A were greatly potentiated in the presence of levamisole, but this population of cells could not be stimulated directly by the drug.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D007978:Levamisole / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008934:Mitogens; D008938:Mitosis / Q000187:drug effects; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D008934:Mitogens; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D003208:Concanavalin A; D007978:Levamisole; D004247:DNA