MEASUREMENT OF LYMPHOCYTE TRAFFIC WITH IN-111

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  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 39  (1) , 215-221
Abstract
The use of 111In as a radioactive marker for the investigation of lymphocyte recirculation in the sheep was assessed. Lymphocytes were collected from sheep with indwelling catheters in the efferent lymphatic ducts of peripheral lymph nodes and labeled with 111In-oxine or Na251CrO at doses of 10 .mu.Ci and 50 .mu.Ci/108 cells, respectively. After i.v. injection, the lymphocyte specific activity (cpm/107 cells) in blood and lymph was measured for several days. The maximum specific activity in efferent lymph was 12-fold greater with 111In than with 51Cr-labeled cells. The kinetics of lymphocyte traffic as measured in double labeling experiments was very similar. The modal transit time was 21.6 h with each isotope. The recovery of 111In-labeled cells was not significantly different from cells labeled with 51Cr. In vivo viability of the labeled cells was further supported by the normal proliferative response observed with 111In-labeled lymphocytes compared to unlabeled cells in the normal lymphocyte transfer reaction. 111In-oxine is an excellent radioactive label for lymphocytes in the sheep. Because of its high counting efficiency and cell labeling characteristics one can label as few as 10 million lymphocytes, or a subpopulation of cells, and assess their recirculation.