Influence of zinc on bacillus calmette-guerin cell wall skeleton induced suppression of concanavalin-a stimulated DNA-synthesis of rat splenic T-lymphocytes

Weanling male Lewis rats consuming a Low-Zn (ZnD) diet (2 ug/g) for 21 days and injected seven days prior to completion of dietary regimen with either incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) or IFA containing Bacillus Calmette-Guerin cell wall skeleton (BCGcws) showed reduced growth and serum Zn. IFA treated rats fed a restricted amount (PF) of adequate-Zn (ZnA) diet (20 ug/g) showed reduced growth. BCGcws injection caused reduced food intake, growth and serum Zn in rats fed the ZnA diet ad libitum, and reduced serum Zn in PF rats. BCGcws injection caused reduced concanavalin-A (Con-A) induced DNA-synthesis of splenic T-lymphocytes from rats of each dietary group. Suppressed mitogenic reactivity of splenic T-lymphocytes to Con-A and enhanced phagocytic activity of spleen lymphoid cells from BCGcws injected rats were normalized after removal of lymphoid cells which adhere to plastic (macrophage like). The present study shows that low-zinc fed rats maintain mitogenic reactivity of T-lymphocytes to Con-A, and suppressor activity of splenic macrophages, stimulated in vivo with BCGcws, on Con-A stimulated blastogenesis of splenic T-lymphocytes.