Passive Transfer of Contact Sensitivity by Tritiated Thymidine-Labeled Lymphoid Cells

Abstract

Passive transfer of tritiated thymidine-labeled lymphoid cells sensitized to the simple chemical DNFB into homologous guinea pigs resulted in positive contact skin reactions 24 hours after skin testing with DNFB. Labeled sensitized cells were found to accumulate at these sites, whereas, labeled nonsensitized lymphoid cells did not appear non-specifically in contact skin reaction sites. The labeled cells were small and large lymphocytes and immature cells of the lymphoid series. The maximum reactions were obtained at 24 hours, with an average of 3.4 per cent of the infiltrating mononuclear cells showing a label. At 48 hours, the macro- and microscopic reactions were similar to the 24 hour reactions but diminished in intensity, and the number of labeled cells in the infiltrates had decreased to 1 per cent of the total infiltrating mononuclear cells. ¼ to ⅓ of the labeled cells were found within the epidermis in the test skin sites. These data have indicated that contact sensitivity, like tuberculin sensitivity, required the sensitized cell to initiate the skin reaction and that the majority of the cellular infiltrate was the result of non-specific host response to injury.

Passively Transferred Delayed Hypersensitivity Reactions in Mice and Guinea-Pigs

“…Gell a n d Hixde (11) noted that the 24 h lesion in rabbits is similar to a mild Arthus reaction with a relative abundance of mononu clear cells and eosinophils. The response at 24 h in guinea pigs is dominated by aggregates of mononuclear cells (12)(13)(14) as is that in man (1). Studies in man have been confirmed and extended re cently to show that although mononuclear cells alone are found late in the response, neutrophils abound in the earlier response (16).…”

Specificity of Passively Transferred Delayed Hypersensitivity

“…Tubercle bacilli were by far the best adjuvants. Passive transfer from donors sensitized with DNFB in complete Freund's adjuvant was most successful and recipients from these donors showed the most extensive cellular infiltrate and the greatest number of labeled ceils (8). Since mycobacteria could not be used in developing chemical sensitivity to test its specificity against tuberculin sensitivity, Shigdla was used, and though effective, it was not so effective as mycobacteria.…”

Current concept of allergic skin reactions

“…Hapten-la-antigen qtigen An excision of the hapten-application site up to [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] h after sensitisation prevents the induction of contact sensitivity (7-9). The time necessary for the hapten to remain in the skin in order to induce contact sensitivity is called minimal contact time.…”

“…It has been shown that in cell-mediated skin reactions specific effector cells form an only very small proportion of the cellular infiltrate causing this reaction (14). Therefore, an amplifying mechanism has been postulated consisting of products of effector cells called lymphokines (1 5 ) and of nonsensitised mononuclear cells activated by these products.…”