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Lymphocyte Subpopulations in the Thymus, Lymph Nodes and Spleen of Iron-Deficient and Rehabilitated Mice¹

Centre de Recherche sur les Anémies Nutritionnelles, Institut Scientifique et Technique de l'Alimentation (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers), Paris, France

Three groups of weanling female mice were fed one of two iron-deficient diets (5 and 12 mg Fe/kg diet) or a normal diet (30 mg Fe/kg diet) for 6 wk. A control pair-fed group was included. Seven mice received the 5 mg Fe/kg diet for 6 wk, then were rehabilitated using the 30 mg Fe/kg diet for 10 d. Mice fed the 5 mg Fe/kg diet were anemic, whereas mice fed the 12 mg Fe/kg diet were moderately iron-deficient, as shown by indices of iron status. No significant difference were observed in thymus weight or in the proportion and number of thymocyte subsets in thymuses of anemic, moderately iron-deficient and control mice. Thymus weight was decreased in pair-fed mice. No significant difference was found in lymph node subsets. In the spleen of anemic mice, the proportions and total number of Thy-1⁺ splenocytes, CD4-8⁺ and CD4⁺8^- cells were very low compared with control (P < 0.01) and iron-deficient (P < 0.02) mice. The decrease was not only observed for the percentage of subsets but also for the absolute number of cell subtypes per spleen. Thy-1⁺ splenocyte subpopulations were normalized after rehabilitation. These quantitative modifications could explain alterations in the blastogenic response of splenic lymphocytes described by other authors.

KEY WORDS: • iron • Thy-1⁺ lymphocytes • CD4⁺8^- and CD4^-8⁺ cells • mice

¹ Supported by a grant from INSERM (Contrat de Recherche Externe No. 898002).

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed at Centre de Recherche sur les Anémies Nutritionnelles, ISTA (CNAM), 2 rue Conté, F-75003 Paris, France.

Manuscript received 20 February 1990. Revision accepted 18 February 1991.