Competitive reconstitution.
(A), E−/− mice, which harbor the leukocyte antigen CD45.2, were treated with 2 doses of fucoidan or PBS. Two hours after the last dose, blood was harvested and the volume measured. Erythrocytes were lysed and nucleated cells were pooled within each group. Concomitantly, bone marrow nucleated cells from congenic mice expressing the leukocyte antigen CD45.1 were obtained. Blood (CD45.2) and bone marrow (CD45.1) nucleated cells were mixed and injected into lethally irradiated CD45.1 congenic mice. Each recipient received nucleated cells from 1 mL of blood obtained from PBS or fucoidan-treated E−/− mice with 1 × 105 bone marrow cells (competitor) from normal CD45.1 donor. A sample of blood from transplanted mice was obtained monthly from the retroorbital venous plexus. Leukocytes were stained for both CD45.1 and CD45.2, and leukocyte expression was assessed by flow cytometric analysis. (B), Competitive repopulating units (CRUs) of donor (CD45.2) fucoidan-mobilized and PBS blood. (C) Percentage of CD45.2 expression in total leukocytes and among the various leukocyte subsets, as judged by their scatter characteristics, 6 months after transplantation in mice receiving blood nucleated cells from E−/− mice treated with PBS or fucoidan. Donor mice, n = 10; recipients, n = 6-7.
