The Effect of Lithium on Murine Hematopoiesis in a Liquid Culture System

Abstract

Lithium carbonate has been shown to increase granulocyte production. We studied the effect of lithium on murine hematopoiesis in a liquid culture system providing for the prolonged growth of stem cells and their progeny. After one week of incubation, lithium, at a supernatant concentration of 1 mmol per liter, increased murine pluripotent stem cells (CFU-S, or colony-forming units in spleen) to 232 per cent of control values (P<0.001), granulocyte-monocyte progenitor cells (CFU-C, or colony-forming units in culture) to 218 per cent of control values (P<0.0001), granulocytes to 125 per cent of control values (P<0.01), and megakaryocytes to 246 per cent of control values (P<0.001). These increases were associated with transient elevations in colony-stimulatory activity.