Regulation of mitogen- and antigen-stimulated lymphocyte blastogenesis by prostaglandins

Exogenously added prostaglandin E1 or E2 inhibited the blastogenic response of Mycobacterium bovis-sensitized bovine peripheral blood lymphocytes stimulated with concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin, or M. bovis purified protein derivative as measured by [3H]thymidine uptake. The kinetics of the response showed that prostaglandins must be added to lymphocyte cultures within hours after mitogen or antigen addition to achieve maximum suppression of [3H]thymidine uptake. Addition of prostaglandins 24 h after the addition of mitogens or antigens resulted in considerably less suppression, supporting a hypothesis that prostaglandins initiate an early series of events which ultimately control lymphocyte blastogenesis rather than directly inhibit deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis.