Treatment of mice with KGF diminishes thymic GVHD.
Acute GVHD was induced by transfer of 25 × 106 parental B6 splenocytes to unirradiated B6D2F1 mice. Recipients were analyzed on day 13 after transplantation. Mice were treated from days −3 to +3 of transplantation with KGF (ip, 5.0 mg/kg per mouse per day KGF; ▧) or HBSS (■). B6D2F1 mice that received transplants with syngeneic splenocytes served as non-GVHD controls and received HBSS (▪). (A) Thymus weight (mg) and (B) cellularity (total cell number × 106) were determined. (C) Infiltration of donor T cells into the thymus (in percent, left; total cell number × 105, right). Donor-derived T cells were distinguished from host cells (CD45.2+) by the expression of CD45.1. (D) Cell surface expression of CD3, CD4, and CD8 on thymic cells was analyzed by flow cytometry and the major thymocyte subsets were quantified (% of total cells and total cell numbers × 106, respectively). TN indicates CD3, CD4, CD8 triple-negative thymocytes; DP indicates CD4, CD8 double-positive thymocytes. The graph represents pooled data from 3 independent experiments, with 10 mice analyzed for each group. Analysis by ANOVA; *P < .05.
