title: Mitogenic effect of zinc on lymphocytes from strains of mice that are either high or low-responder to T-cell mitogens.
abstract: We have studied the in vitro mitogenic effect of ZnCl2 in cultures of lymphocytes from Balb/c or C57BL/6 mice which are high-responder or low-responder to T-cell mitogens respectively. Zn induced proliferation of spleen cells from Balb/c mice cultured without 2-ME. Higher levels of proliferation were observed in cultures with 2-ME. In contrast, Zn only induced proliferation of spleen cells from C57BL/6 mice in the presence of 2-ME. No response to Zn was observed in cultures without 2-ME, of spleen cells from either Balb/c or C57BL/6 mice depleted of plastic adherent cells. However, in cultures with 2-ME, Zn induced proliferation of non-adherent as well as plastic adherent cells from either strain of mice. In cultures without 2-ME, Zn induced proliferation of thymocytes from Balb/c mice, whereas did not show constant mitogenic effect on thymocytes from C57BL/6 mice. In contrast, Zn determined higher levels of proliferation of thymocytes from either strain of mice when cultured with 2-ME. Zn had earlier and stronger mitogenic effect on mature thymocytes of either strain of mice than in total thymocytes, both in cultures with or without 2-ME. However, Zn did not induced proliferation in cultures of immature thymocytes of either strain of mice.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Medicina Experimental, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Caracas.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pocino
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Malavé
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baute
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008623:Mercaptoethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D015032:Zinc / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D008934:Mitogens; D008623:Mercaptoethanol; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D015032:Zinc