Influence of overall treatment time in a fractionated total lymphoid irradiation as an immunosuppressive therapy in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in mice.
Three groups of C57/BL/Ka mice received total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) in a total dose of 34 Gy in three different fractionation schedules. In the first group daily fractions of 2 Gy were given during 3 1/2 weeks. In the second group 4 to 5 fractions with 3 1/2 hr interval were given each day, thus delivering 17 fractions in 4 days. In the third group three fractions were given daily for two consecutive days and was repeated two times after 8 or 9 days interval, resulting in a total treatment time of 3 1/2 weeks. The tolerance of all different schedules was excellent. No difference in the peripheral white blood cell and lymphocyte counts nor the degree of immunosuppression as measured by phytohaemaglutinin or concanavalin A induced blastogenesis and mixed lymphocyte reaction were observed at the end of the treatment and up to 200 days. When bone marrow transplantation was performed one day after the end of each schedule, chimerism without signs of graft versus host disease was induced in all the groups. However, from the results in a limited number of animals it seems that concentrated schedules were less effective for chimerism induction. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to reduce drastically the overall treatment time for TLI before bone marrow transplantation. Further investigations are necessary in order to determine the optimal time-dose-fractionation factors and the different parameters involved in the transplantation.
D000818:Animals; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008208:Lymphatic System / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation