Effect of concanavalin A treatment on the allogeneic response of mice to challenge with P 815 mastocytoma: interleukin 2 treatment reverses concanavalin A suppression in vivo.

Mice injected repeatedly with concanavalin A (Con A) prior to and following challenge with P 815 mastocytoma are suppressed in their cell-mediated cytotoxicity responses. Earlier studies showed that pretreatment of the animals with silica to affect macrophage (M phi) functions reversed the Con A suppression. In the present paper we have shown that peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) induced/activated by ip injection of Con A were able to transfer suppression to normal mice.

Suppression of cell-mediated immunity to challenge with P 815 mastocytoma in concanavalin A-treated mice.

C57Bl/6 (B6) mice allogeneic to the P 815 mastocytoma tumor cell line when treated with concanavalin A prior to and at frequent intervals following challenge intraperitoneally with 10(7) tumor cells showed a significant suppression of their cell-mediated immune response at 9-10 days when compared with untreated animals. Suppression of the immune response of mice syngeneic (DBA/2) or hybrid (BDF1) to the tumor was also evidenced by increased mortality rates in concanavalin A-treated animals. The suppression of cell-mediated cytotoxicity observed in B6 mice treated with concanavalin A could be reversed by pretreatment with 20 mg silica injected intraperitoneally 7 days prior to challenge.