EFFECT OF ORAL ANTICOAGULANTS ON STABLE ROSETTE FORMATION

Human peripheral blood T lymphacytes when cultered in the presence of mitogen Phytohemogglutinin (PHA) acquire the capacity to form E rosettes with sheep erythrocytes that are resistant to incubation at 37° C. Whereas human thymus lymphocytes form 37° C stable E rosettes. On the other hand, it is shown that the use of anticoagulants can prevent cancer metastases which brings forth the importance of explaining the relationship between the lymphocyte functions and anticoagulant action mecha-nismus. In order to investigate this relationship, we did a group af experiments with lymphocytes of normal children and of children with severe burn wounds. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were seperated by “Lymphoprep” centrifugation technique. The lymphocytes of normal children and patients with burn were divided in two groups: A-Activated lymphocytes: 1×106 /ml lymphocytes were cultured and activated by PHAfor 48 hours at 37° C in RPMI 1640. B-Non activated lymphocytes were in culture witout PHA. 1×10™6 M/ml warfarin sulfate was added to some of the cultures of each group prior to the culture conditions. At the end of the 48 hour incubation, heat stable rosette formation was determined by the method of Wauve and co-workers. Significantly elevated levels of heat stable rosette forming cells were found in the PHA activated culture treated with warfarin sulfate in normals and patients with burn. Although the blastic transformation of T lymphocytes was found to be depressed, heat stable rosette formation of warfarin sulfate treated lymphocytes abtained from burn patients was observed to be significantly elevated. It is concluded that warfarin sulfate increases the activity of T lymphocytes by interfering with the resynthesis of heai stable E receptors.