COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT STRAINS OF CORYNEBACTERIUM-PARVUM ON NATURAL CELL-MEDIATED CYTO-TOXICITY

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 40  (11) , 4159-4164
Abstract
Because there are conflicting reports regarding the effects of C. parvum (CP) on natural killer (NK) cell activity, several different strains of CP were compared. In replicate experiments, age- and sex-matched mice received 0.25 mg i.p. injections of 1 of 4 types of CP; formalin-killed strain 6134; heat-killed strain 6134; formalin-killed strain 5888 (actually P. granulosum); or formalin-killed CP from the Pasteur Institute [France]. At various days thereafter, 2-3 mice from each group were sacrificed to determine spleen weight, cellularity and NK cell activity vs. YAC-1 [mouse] lymphoma cells. The CP from the Pasteur Institute augmented NK cell activity 3 days following injections; the activity returned to normal by day 7 and remained at that level. Strain 5888 did not cause as great an increase in lytic activity as did the Pasteur Institute CP at day 3; but by day 10 after injection, NK cell levels were above control, and they remained elevated through day 21. The heat-killed and formalin-killed preparations of strain 6134 stimulated NK cell activity initially but resulted in a loss of activity at the later times tested. Experiments done with different doses and routes of injection yielded similar results. Different types of CP have different effects on NK cell activity in mice and the general kinetics of these effects were independent of dose or route of administration.