Lethal effect of the intravenous injection of H-2 alloantigen activated T cells.

T cells of C57BL/6J (B6) mice activated in vitro against the K and D determinants of the H-2d haplotype, and expanded in tissue culture in the presence of interleukin 2, were capable of rapidly killing lethally irradiated BALB/c recipients when injected intravenously. Mice given 10(6), 10(7) and 10(8) such T cells survived 10.5, 8.5 and 0.5 days respectively. Mice given irradiation only survived 10.5 days. Mice given 10(8) B6 T cells activated against all determinants of a third party haplotype (H-2k) survived 8.5 days. Respiratory distress developed within 3 hr of injection in mice given 10(8) T cells activated against the H-2 alloantigens of the recipient haplotype, and at autopsy their lungs showed pulmonary congestion, focal obliteration of the alveolar space and thickening of alveolar interstitial tissue with fibrin, red cell and a mononuclear cell infiltrate. These findings may have relevance to the use of cellular immunotherapy.