CYTOTOXIC POTENTIAL OF STIMULATED HUMAN LYMPHOCYTES

Abstract

Viable and immunologically competent lymphocytes from unsensitized donors damage allogeneic tissue culture cells in the presence of phytohemagglutinin (PHA). This cytotoxicity is specific since syngeneic tissue culture cells are not at all or only slightly damaged under similar experimental conditions. In this investigation, the relation between the stimulation of human lymphocytes and their cytotoxicity was studied. Chang cells (human liver) served as target cells in all experiments. Cell damage was quantitated by measuring the release of isotope from target cells labeled with chromate-⁵¹Cr.