Effects of estrogen on the lymphoid regeneration and immune response in irradiated and marrow-reconstituted mice.

Various doses of estriol (E3) were given to mice intraperitoneally, immediately after lethal irradiation and marrow reconstitution. The assessment of the plaque-forming cell (PFC) response to sheep erythrocytes in the spleen and the histological assessment of lymphoid tissues were carried out 30 days later. The effects appeared to be dose-dependent and resulted in a marked suppression of the PFC response. The depletion of lymphocytes was dramatic and dose-dependent in the thymus, and in the thymus-dependent and in the thymus independent areas of the peripheral lymphoid tissues. These results suggest that E3 acts on the differentiation of stem or precursor cells toweard both the populations of T and B lymphocytes. Although E3, given on day 7 after irradiation and marrow reconstitution, suppressed the lymphoid regeneration and PFC response markedly, E3 given on day 14 had no effect. On day 7 the majority of regenerating lymphoid tissues were large pyroninophilic cells and on day 14, small lymphocytes. These results suggest that the precursor or immature lymphocytes are sensitive to E3, while mature lymphocytes are resistant. Lymphoid regeneration and PFC response were retarded in mice irradiated and reconstituted with bone marrow cells from donors pretreated with E3. These results suggest that E3 acts on the stem or precursor cells capable to differentiate in the direction of lymphoid populations and reduce their number in the bone marrow.