Lymphocyte proliferation in glutathione-depleted lymphocytes: direct relationship between glutathione availability and the proliferative response.

Lymphocyte proliferation in response to mitogenic lectins is directly dependent upon glutathione (GSH) availability. Thus, proliferation can be enhanced by providing lymphocytes with excess glutathione, and strongly inhibited by limiting the quantity of intracellular GSH available during the mitogenic stimulation. Exogenous GSH, cysteine and 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) can all significantly enhance lymphocyte proliferation and augment intracellular GSH levels. Lymphocytes depleted of GSH by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) fail to undergo a full blast transformation response to mitogenic lectins. In lymphocytes stimulated with mitogen in the presence of BSO, the time profile of intracellular GSH levels shows a rapid decline over the first 24-48 h and a subsequent gradual decline to levels less than 0.5 nmol/10(7) lymphocytes by 72-96 h. Exogenous GSH partially sustains intracellular GSH levels and completely restores lymphocyte proliferation even in the presence of 2000 microM BSO. Other thiols, such as cysteine and 2-ME, do not significantly alter the time profile of intracellular GSH in mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes in the presence of 2000 microM BSO, and their capacity to enhance proliferation is greatly diminished albeit not completely abolished under these conditions. Ongoing GSH synthesis is clearly essential to maintain a normal proliferative response. If intracellular GSH levels are depleted initially and lymphocytes are then stimulated with mitogen in the presence of BSO, there is a diminished capacity of cysteine and 2-ME to restore proliferation relative to exogenous GSH. There is also a diminished capacity of exogenous GSH to restore proliferation with higher concentrations of BSO. This suggests that the restoration of lymphocyte proliferation by exogenous GSH is more closely linked to effects on intracellular rather than extracellular GSH. These studies confirm the importance of intracellular GSH in lymphocyte proliferation. The essential role for intracellular GSH can be demonstrated even in the presence of other exogenous thiols, such as cysteine and 2-ME. The enhancement of lymphocyte proliferation by exogenous cysteine appears to be directly linked to effects on intracellular GSH, whereas the enhancement by 2-ME is probably more complex but clearly linked to effects on intracellular GSH.