Modulation of murine pluripotential stem cell proliferation in vivo by lithium carbonate

The effect of administering lithium in vivo on murine pluripotential stem cell proliferation was studied. Lithium was injected i.p. at various meq/liter concentrations (0.5–5.0 meq/liter). Data was obtained establishing that lithium increased the pluripotential stem cell population from normal mice as measured by the Till and McCulloch CFUs assay. Significant increases were demonstrated in: (1) bone marrow CFUs; (2) bone marrow organ cellularity, and (3) peripheral blood WBC. Marrow CFUs increase was maximum at 4 days post-lithium injection and greatest in the 1 meq/liter group (p < 0.001). Further increases in lithium concentration, i.e., 5 meq/liter, effectively reduced CFUs levels below normal, suggesting toxicity of the drug was apparent at this dose level. We conclude lithium may modulate granulopoiesis by increasing the CFUs stem cell compartment, thereby directly channeling differentiation into the granulopoietic pathway. This increases the committed progenitor stem cell (CFUc) population and ultimately peripheral blood end-stage cells.