Wound healing and T-lymphocytes.

T-cell depletion leads to impaired wound healing. We studied the effect of combined T-helper and T-suppressor lymphocyte depletion on wound healing and compared it with the effect of all T-cell depletion. Groups of 10 male balb/c mice, 8 weeks old, underwent a 2.5-cm skin incision and subcutaneous implantation of polyvinyl alcohol sponges. Twenty-four hours prior to wounding one group was treated with 3OH12, a rat anti-mouse monoclonal antibody against the Thy-1.2 antigen present on all T-cells (1 mg); another group received 1 mg each of GK1.5 (anti-L3T4, CD4; anti-helper/effector subset) and 2.43 (anti-Lyt 2.1, CD8; anti-suppressor/cytotoxic subset). All monoclonal antibodies are cytotoxic in vivo. Controls received 1 mg of nonspecific rat IgG. Treatments were repeated weekly. Animals were sacrificed at 2 and 4 weeks postwounding. Equal depletion of all T- and Th- and Ts-subsets in peripheral blood and spleens was noted in the two experimental groups at sacrifice. Depleting Thy-1.2 cells (all T-cells) impaired wound healing as assessed by wound breaking strength and collagen synthesis. Combined anti-T-helper/effector and T-suppressor/cytotoxic depletion resulted in improved wound-healing parameters. This suggests that there is a Thy-1.2+, L3T4-, Lyt2- subpopulation of T lymphocytes which normally stimulates wound healing.