A study of natural cytotoxic (NC) activity in the metrial glands of rats and mice.

Cell suspensions prepared from the metrial glands of rats killed on days 10, 13 and 20 of pregnancy and mice killed on day 12 of pregnancy were assessed for their ability to kill natural cytotoxic cell target Wehi 164 cells in a 51chromium-release cytotoxicity assay. High cytotoxicity indices were found with metrial gland cell suspensions from rats killed on days 10 and 13 of pregnancy and from mice killed on day 12 of pregnancy. Cell suspensions from rats killed on day 20 of pregnancy, when there are relatively few of the granulated metrial gland cells which characterize the metrial gland, had little natural cytotoxic cell cytotoxic activity. Direct observation of mouse granulated metrial gland cells killing co-cultured Wehi 164 cells were made using time-lapse video recordings. The results indicate that granulated metrial gland cells are a type of natural cytotoxic cell.