Effect of Busulfan on Antibody Production and Skin Allograft Survival in the Rat

Summary

Sprague-Dawley and Lewis (LEW) rats were given injections of sheep red blood cells at various times in relation to a single injection of busulfan (BU) [≈ 60% of mean lethal dose (LD50)] suspended in carboxymethyl cellulose. BU treatment raised saline agglutinin titers in SO rats regardless of the time of immunization in relation to BU treatment. LEW rats had this adjuvant effect even when supralethal doses of BU were given. Although not as great as adjuvant effects produced by BU alone, adjuvant effects were produced with carboxymethyl cellulose as well as with homogenates of spleens from BU-pretreated donors. LEW and (LEW × BN)F₁ rats given skin allografts from BN, ACI, or F344 rats at various times in relation to a single dose of BU (≈ 60% of the LD50) did not show a lengthening or shortening of allograft survival. However, when skin grafts from BN rats were placed on LEW animals 4 hours after receiving the injection of BU, allograft survival was minimally, but significantly, shortened.