Blood, 1951, Vol. 6, No. 10, pp. 916-925.
© 1951 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
The Role of the Lungs in the Removal of Transfused
Lymphocytes
AUSTIN S. WEISBERGER M.D.1,
RICHARD A. GUYTON M.D.1,
ROBERT W. HEINLE M.D.1, and
JOHN P. STORAASLI M.D.1
1 Departments of Medicine anf Radiology, Lakeside Hospital and School of
Medicine, Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
In rats, the intravascular injection of large numbers of lymphocytes obtained
from the lymphatic system fails to increase the number of circulating lymphocytes. This is the result, chiefly, of a specific selective action of the lungs in
removing the cells, after either intravenous or intra-arterial injection. The
spleen, and perhaps the liver and kidneys also play a part in removing the
transfused lymphocytes, but are not as active as the lungs in this respect. These
results are similar to those obtained with the transfusion of granulocytes obtained from the peritoneal cavity of rabbits and raise the possibility that the
lungs may act as a homeostatic organ in controlling the level of the white blood
count. Under the conditions of this experiment, relatively large doses of ACTH
and cortisone had no significant immediate effect on transfused lymphocytes.
These results indicate that inadequate preservation of leukocytes in stored
blood does not account for their failure to appear in the circulation after transfusion, and that better preservation will not, in all probability, alter the situation.
Submitted on January 27, 1951
Accepted on April 16, 1951
