A STUDY OF NATURAL CYTOTOXIC (NC) ACTIVITY IN THE METRIAL GLANDS OF RATS AND MICE

Cell suspensions prepared from the metrial glands of rats killed on da ys 10, 13 and 20 of pregnancy and mice killed on day 12 of pregnancy w ere assessed for their ability to kill natural cytotoxic cell target W ehi 164 cells in a (51)chromium-release cytotoxicity assay. High cytot oxicity indices were found with metrial gland cell suspensions from ra ts killed on days 10 and 13 of pregnancy and from mice killed on day 1 2 of pregnancy. Cell suspensions from rats killed on day 20 of pregnan cy, when there are relatively few of the granulated metrial gland cell s which characterize the metrial gland, had little natural cytotoxic c ell cytotoxic activity. Direct observation of mouse granulated metrial gland cells killing co-cultured Wehi 164 cells were made using time-l apse video recordings. The results indicate that granulated metrial gl and cells are a type of natural cytotoxic cell.