Effects of 5 ‐fluorouracil on mitogen ‐induced costimulatory capacity of accessory cells from rat oral mucosa and dental pulp

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Abstract
The present study was designed to investigate the effect of the antimetabolite 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) on the capacity of the oral epithelium and the dental pulp to induce a mitogen‐driven T‐cell proliferation. Inbred Lewis rats were given 6 i.v. injections of 5‐FU (30 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg) over a period of 8 days. Suspensions of oral epithelial and dental pulpal cells were prepared. The costimulatory capacity of the accessory cells from treated animals was monitored by their ability to induce a mitogen (ConA)‐mediated proliferation of T cells isolated from regional lymph nodes of untreated animals. Accessory epithelial cells from rats treated with the high dose of 5‐FU, but not the low dose, induced a decreased T‐cell proliferation compared to controls. Accessory pulpal cells from rats, treated with 30 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg of 5‐FU, induced a lower T‐cell proliferation. When MHC class II molecule depleted T‐cell suspensions from lymph nodes of 5‐FU‐injected animals were incubated with ConA, a significant proliferative response was observed. This finding correlated with an increase of MHC class II molecule expressing cells detected after incubation, although no such cells were observed immediately following the initial purification step of T cells. This finding demonstrates that the accessory cells could partly restore their expression of MHC class II molecules during incubation. The results of the study suggest that the function of immunocompetent cells of the oral mucosa and dental pulp is influenced by treatment with 5‐FU and that the function of accessory cells of the pulp is affected more than the function of accessory cells derived from the oral mucosa.

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