Radioprotection of mice with interleukin-1: relationship to the number of spleen colony-forming units

Compared to saline-injected mice 9 days after 6.5 Gy irradiation, there were twofold more Day 8 spleen colony-forming units (CFU-S) per femur and per spleen from B6D2F1 mice administered a radioprotective dose of human recombinant interleukin-1-alpha (rIL-1) 20 h prior to their irradiation. Studies in the present report compared the numbers of CFU-S in nonirradiated mice 20 h after saline or rIL-1 injection. Prior to irradiation, the number of Day 8 CFU-S was not significantly different in the bone marrow or spleens from saline-injected mice and rIL-1-injected mice. Also, in the bone marrow, the number of Day 12 CFU-S was similar for both groups of mice. Similar seeding efficiencies for CFU-S and percentage of CFU-S in S phase of the cell cycle provided further evidence that rIL-1 injection did not increase the number of CFU-S prior to irradiation. In a marrow repopulation assay, cellularity as well as the number of erythroid colony-forming units, erythroid burst-forming units, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells per femur of lethally irradiated mice were not increased in recipient mice of donor cells from rIL-1-injected mice. These results demonstrated that a twofold increase in the number of CFU-S at the time of irradiation was not necessary for the earlier recovery of CFU-S observed in mice irradiated with sublethal doses of radiation 20 h after rIL-1 injection.     

Effects of cyclophosphamide on murine bone marrow and splenic megakaryocyte-CFC,granulocyte-macrophage-CFC,and peripheral blood cell levels

The effect of cyclophosphamide (CY) on megakaryocytopoiesis in mice was examined with assays of megakaryocyte colony-forming cells (Meg-CFC) in bone marrow and spleen and simultaneous determinations of peripheral blood counts, after a single intraperitoneal dose (200 mg/kg) of CY. Significant rebound thrombocytosis (170% of normal) occurred at day 11 after injection with CY, although only modest preceding thrombocytopenia (70% of normal) was observed. After an initial 3–5-day period of suppression, total megakaryocyte colony-forming cells (Meg-CFC) in both bone marrow and spleen of CY-treated mice demonstrated rebound increases at 5 and 7 days, respectively, after administration of the drug. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFC) exhibited alterations which were similar to those of Meg-CFC, suggesting similar sensitivities of Meg-CFC and GM-CFC to CY. The increase in Meg-CFC in both bone marrow and spleen preceded development of thrombocytosis by 4–6 days. This suggests that increased platelet counts in CY-treated mice are attributable, at least in part, to alterations in feedback mechanisms which control megakaryocytopoiesis, with resultant stimulation of the megakaryocyte progenitor compartment.     

Plasmodium berghei: influence on granulopoiesis and macrophage production in BALB/c mice

Granulocyte and macrophage progenitor cells forming colonies in vitro (GM-CFC) from bone marrow, spleen, and peripheral blood of BALB/c mice infected with Plasmodium berghei were cultured at various times postinfection in a viscous, 0.8% methylcellulose system. The numbers of GM-CFCs from bone marrow increased gradually during the first week of infection, reaching a maximum around the tenth day of the disease. Subsequently, a rise of GM-CFCs in cultures of nucleated cells from the peripheral blood was observed and, with some delay, in spleen cell cultures also, with a maximum around the end of the second week. After the tenth day of malaria infection a fall of colony frequency in bone marrow-derived cells took place, leading to subnormal values of GM-CFCs during the third week of infection. Subsequently, a decrease in the spleen cell cultures followed, but colony numbers did not fall to normal values. The general increase in GM-CFCs in the different organs was preceded by a rise in serum levels of colony-stimulating activity (CSA), attaining a maximum 1 week after P. berghei inoculation. During the following period the CSA levels fell and reached normal values around the seventeenth day of the disease. Chemotherapy with chloroquine started on the fifteenth day of infection, when GM-CFCs in the bone marrow have dropped to normal values, stopped their further decrease. In the spleen a gradual normalization took more than 2 weeks. A challenge infection evoked an elevation of GM-CFC numbers in the bone marrow and in the spleen during the first 10 days in only about 50% of immune mice. The reaction was immediate in some animals, but generally lower and of shorter duration than during primary infection. The results have indicated that a lethal P. berghei infection in mice caused a transient increase in production of CSA followed by a general recruitment of GM-CFCs in all hemopoietic organs.     

The effect of internal exposure to 90Sr on hematopoietic stem cells in CBA mice

After acute intake of 90Sr the changes of d-9 CFUs number in mice (CBA) bone marrow, spleen and peripheral blood were investigated. The obtained results indicated similar quantitative changes in bone marrow and spleen CFUs on exposure to the 90Sr when radiation doses did not cause the decrease in life-time (1.11 kBq/g). Sarcomogeneous doses of 90Sr (29.6 kBq/g) resulted in drastic changes of hemopoietic system: spleen haematopoiesis activation and suppression of bone marrow functions. On the first day after 90Sr injection (29.6 kBq/g) the increase in number of peripheral blood CFUs (circulating pool) was observed.     

Role of hematopoietic microenvironment in the mechanism of radioprotective action of interleukin-1 beta in long-term bone marrow cultures

The influence of human interleukin-1 beta in different concentration on processes of postirradiation recovery of haemopoietic precursors (GM-CFC) and morphology of recognized elements of bone marrow were studied in long-term bone marrow cultures during 28 days after gamma-irradiation with a dose of 2 Gy. It was studied also the action of interleukin-1 beta on proliferation, the contents of GM-CFC and the induction of GM-CSF in non-irradiated cultures. It was shown that the injection of interleukin-1 beta increased proliferation and the content of GM-CFC and also raised an induction of GM-CSF in the non-irradiation cultures. The maximum increase of a level of GM-CSF, amount of GM-CFC and proliferation of GM-CFC was marked in 20 hours after the injection of cytokine. Under irradiation of long-term bone marrow cultures the maximum stimulation effect to recovery of GM-CFC, total number of myelocaryocytes and the content of immature and mature granulocytes were observed after the injection of interleukin-1 beta in concentration of 0.005 microgram/ml 20 hours prior to radiation exposure. The data of this report suggest that one of the mechanisms of radioprotective action of interleukin-1 beta apparently is connected with stimulation action on hematopoietic microenvironment cellular elements that causes the release of GM-CSF or/and other cytokines, and stimulation recovery of haemopoietic precursors.     

Protective, restorative, and therapeutic properties of recombinant human IL-1 in rodent models

Human rIL-1 alpha and -1 beta are shown to increase significantly the CFU-culture activity in the spleen as well as at other sites after i.v. or i.p. administration. IL-1 can also significantly increase survival and can "rescue" a number of animals if administered either before or after lethal doses of cyclophosphamide or gamma-irradiation. The protective and reconstitutive activities of the rIL-1 are shown to correlate with increased CFU-culture frequency and total number, as well as increased cellularity in the bone marrow and peripheral blood, suggesting that this is one of their mechanisms of action. The sequence and timing of administration of human rIL-1 is critical for the protection or rescue of animals receiving DNA-damaging agents; maximal activity is achieved when IL-1 is given 20 h before insult or 48 h after alkylating agent administration. Minimal therapeutic activity is observed with IL-1 as a single agent for the treatment of metastatic disease compared with other biologic response modifiers including IFN-gamma.     

Antigenic challenge of immunized mice induces endogeneous production of IL-3 that increases histamine synthesis in hematopoietic organs

Antigenic challenge of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis-infected mice induces a striking increase in histidine decarboxylase (HDC) activity in both spleen and bone marrow cells. This enhancement takes place within 1 h after injection, with a maximum at 4 h and a return to pretreatment values 20 h later. It is associated with the appearance of IL-3 in the sera of these mice. In addition, the intracellular histamine content in both hematopoietic organs is concomitantly increased. A similar injection of worm Ag into normal mice has no significant effect. Comparable enhancement of HDC activity and intracellular histamine content with almost identical kinetics is promoted by i.v. injection of rIL-3 into normal mice. Moreover, HDC levels in infected mice are increased to the same extent in response to either specific antigen or rIL-3 injection. Taken together these results support the conclusion that antigenic challenge of immunized mice induces endogeneous IL-3 which, in turn, promotes a rapid increase in histamine synthesis in hematopoietic organs.     

Effects of a murine mammary tumor on in vivo and in vitro hemopoiesis

The effects of an autologous transplanted mammary tumor (RIII-T3) on hemopoiesis in RIII mice are described. Tumor-bearing animals died 30 to 40 days after inoculation and displayed splenomegaly, extreme neutrophilia, and moderately increased monocyte levels in the spleen, peripheral blood, and bone marrow. The precursors of neutrophils and monocytes, granulocyte/macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFC) were elevated in the spleen, bone marrow, and peripheral blood. RIII-T3-conditioned medium stimulated bone marrow GM-CFC and caused the myelomonocytic cell line, WEHI-3B, to differentiate in vitro. The conditioned medium did not stimulate erythroid, megakaryocyte, or eosinophil colony formation. When conditioned medium was fractionated, two peaks of activity corresponding to GM-CSF and G-CSF were observed, suggesting that the extreme neutrophilia observed in tumor-bearing animals may result from chronic exposure of the hemopoietic system to these hemopoietic hormones.     

Sustained engraftment of mice transplanted with IL-1-primed blood-derived stem cells.

IL-1 is considered the primary mediator of the acute phase response. One of the characteristic manifestations of this response is early neutrophilia that is probably caused by release of mature neutrophils from the bone marrow into the peripheral blood. In the present study, we assessed whether IL-1 had a similar releasing effect on the number of circulating progenitor cells and stem cells. Female BALB/c mice were injected i.p. with increasing (0.1-1.0 micrograms/mouse) concentrations of rhu-IL-1 alpha. IL-1 injection resulted in a marked dose-dependent increase in the number of polymorphonuclear neutrophils, granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM), and cells forming spleen colonies (CFU-S day 8 and day 12). The maximal increase was found at 4 to 8 h after injection of 1 micrograms IL-1 per mouse, yielding a mean fivefold elevation in neutrophil count, and a mean 30-fold and 10-fold increase in the number of circulating CFU-GM and CFU-S, respectively. In a subsequent series of experiments, lethally irradiated (8.5 Gy) female recipient animals were transplanted with 5 x 10(5) blood mononuclear cells derived from male IL-1-treated animals. Long-term survival was obtained in 68% of mice transplanted with peripheral blood cells derived from donor animals at 6 h after a single injection of 1 micrograms IL-1. The mean number of circulating CFU-GM in these donor animals was 557/ml blood. At 6 mo after transplantation, greater than 95% of the bone marrow cells were of male origin, as determined using in situ hybridization with a Y-chromosome specific probe. In contrast, long-term survival was reached in less than 10% of mice transplanted with an equal number of blood cells derived from saline-treated controls or donor animals treated with a dose of 0.1 micrograms IL-1. These results indicate that a single injection of IL-1 induces a shift of hematopoietic progenitor cells and marrow repopulating cells into peripheral blood and that these cells can be used to rescue and permanently repopulate the bone marrow of lethally irradiated recipients.     

Assessment of hemapoietic system reaction of mice when exposed to pulsed magnetic field

The focus of the study was on the reaction of by the haemopoietic system of mice subjected to impulse magnetic field. The source of the impulse magnetic field was the Shakhparonov's generator. The animals used in the experiments were mice of two strains--CBA, C57B1/6 and white non-inbred mice. These animals were exposed to impulse magnetic field during 1, 3 and 7 days. Animals were examined twice: immediately after the termination of exposure and 24 h later. The following effects were observed in the course of the experiments: an increase in the number of bone marrow cells right after the exposure termination; an increase in the number of proliferation pool cells with the increase in their mitotic activity; 1 day after the exposure termination the number of bone marrow cells was restored to the initial values, or even it decreased; the above listed bone marrow changes led to the increase in the number of peripheral blood leucocytes in 1 day after the termination of exposure. The increase of leukocyte counts was not accompanied with changes in peripheral blood cell composition. It was suggested that exposure to impulse magnetic field increases the rates of cell cycle, the cell differentiation and the maturation.     

Induction of graft versus leukemia effects by cell-mediated lymphokine-activated immunotherapy after syngeneic bone marrow transplantation in murine B cell leukemia

 The feasibility of inducing graft versus leukemia (GVL) effects with allogeneic T cells in recipients of autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was studied in a murine model (BCL 1) of human B cell leukemia/lymphoma. Allogeneic cell therapy, induced by infusion with peripheral blood lymphocytes, a mixture of allogeneic spleen and lymph node cells and allogeneic activated cell therapy, induced by in vitro recombinant-interleukin-2(rIL-2)-activated allogeneic bone marrow cells in tumor-bearing mice, prevented disease development in adoptive BALB/c recipients. Concomitant in vivo activation of allogeneic lymphocytes with rIL-2 suppressed even more effectively the development of leukemia in secondary adoptive recipients of spleen cells obtained from treated mice. In contrast, in vivo administration of rIL-2 after syngeneic BMT, with or without equal numbers of syngeneic lymphocytes, led to disease development in secondary recipients. Our data suggest that effective cell therapy can be achieved after SBMT by allogeneic but not syngeneic lymphocytes and that anti-leukemic effects induced by allogeneic lymphocytes can be further enhanced by in vitro or in vivo activation of allogeneic effector cells with rIL-2. Therefore, cell therapy by allogeneic lymphocytes following autologous BMT could become an effective method for inducing GVL-like effects on minimal residual disease provided that graft versus host disease can be prevented or adequately controlled. Received: 14 May 1996 / Accepted: 6 August 1996     

Pretreatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor reduces myelopoiesis in irradiated mice

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of the treatment prior to irradiation with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on hematopoiesis in B10CBAF1 mice exposed to a sublethal dose of 6.5 Gy of 60Co gamma radiation. G-CSF was administered in a 4-day regimen (3 microg/day); irradiation followed 3 h after the last injection of G-CSF. Such a treatment was found to stimulate granulopoiesis, as shown by increased counts of granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (GM-CFC) and of granulocytic cells in the femoral marrow and spleen at the time of irradiation. However, postirradiation counts of GM-CFC and granulocytic cells in the marrow of mice pretreated with G-CSF were reduced up to day 18 after irradiation. Interestingly, the D0 values for marrow GM-CFC determined 1 h after in vivo irradiation were 1.98 Gy for controls and 2.47 Gy for mice pretreated with G-CSF, indicating a decreased radiosensitivity of these cells after drug treatment. The inhibitory effects of the pretreatment with G-CSF on the postirradiation granulopoiesis could be attributed to the phenomenon of "rebound quiescence" which can occur after cessation of the treatment with growth factors. Postirradiation recovery of erythropoiesis in the spleen of mice pretreated with G-CSF exhibited a dramatic increase and compensated for the decreased erythropoiesis in the marrow at the time of irradiation. This complexity of the hematopoietic response should be taken into account when administering G-CSF in preirradiation regimens.     

Genotoxicity of paraquat: micronuclei induced in bone marrow and peripheral blood are inhibited by melatonin

The ability of melatonin to influence paraquat-induced genotoxicity was tested using micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes as an index of damage in both bone marrow and peripheral blood cells of mice. Melatonin (10 mg/kg) or an equal volume of saline were administered intraperitoneally (ip) to mice 30 min prior to an ip injection of paraquat (20 mg/kgx2), and thereafter at 6-h intervals until the conclusion of the study (72 h). The number of the micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes increased after paraquat administration both in peripheral blood and bone marrow cells. Melatonin administration to paraquat-treated mice significantly reduced micronuclei formation in both peripheral blood and bone marrow cells; these differences were apparent at 24, 48 and 72 h after paraquat administration. The induction of micronuclei was time-dependent with peak values occurring at 24 and 48 h. The reduction in paraquat-related genotoxicity by melatonin is likely due in part to the antioxidant activity of the indole. We did not observe effects of melatonin over paraquat in paraquat+melatonin groups incubated at 0, 60 and 120 min. Mitomycin C, which was used as a positive control, also caused the expected large rises in micronuclei in both bone marrow and peripheral blood cells at 24, 48 and 72 h after its administration.     

Radioprotective effects of ginsan,an immunomodulator

We previously reported that ginsan, a purified polysaccharide isolated from Panax ginseng, had a mitogenic activity, induced LAK cells, and increased levels of several cytokines. In an effort to identify other immunostimulatory effects, we evaluated the protective effects of ginsan injected in vivo against radiation by measuring its effects on the CFU-S bone marrow cells and spleen cells. Ginsan was found to significantly increase the number of bone marrow cells, spleen cells, granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFC), and circulating neutrophils, lymphocytes and platelets in irradiated mice. In addition, ginsan induced the endogenous production of cytokines such as Il1, Il6, Ifng and Il12, which are required for hematopoietic recovery, and was able to enhance Th1 function while interfering with the Th2 response in irradiated mice. We demonstrated that pretreatment with ginsan protected mice from the lethal effects of ionizing radiation more effectively than when it was given immediately after or at various times after irradiation. A significant increase in the LD(50/30) from 7.54 Gy for PBS injection to 10.93 Gy for mice pretreated with 100 mg/kg ginsan was observed. These findings indicate that ginsan may be a useful agent to reduce the time necessary for reconstituting hematopoietic cells after irradiation.     

Long-term effects of low-level 239Pu contamination on murine bone-marrow stem cells and their progeny

The effects of long-term internal contamination with 13.3 kBq kg-1 239Pu injected intravenously were studied in 10-week-old ICR (SPF) female mice. Radiosensitivity of spleen colony-forming units (CFU-S) and 125IUdR incorporating into proliferating cells of vertebral bone marrow and spleens were determined in plutonium-treated and control animals one year after nuclide injection. The CFU-S in 239Pu-treated mice were more sensitive to X-rays (D0 = 0.52 +/- 0.01 Gy) than in controls (D0 = 0.84 +/- 0.02 Gy). 125IUdR incorporation into bone marrow and spleen cells was reduced after plutonium contamination. At one year following plutonium injection, the occurrence of chromosome aberrations was evaluated in metaphase figures of femoral bone marrow cells. The frequency of aberrations increased early after plutonium treatment, at later intervals it tended to decrease but not below the control level. While the relative numbers of vertebral marrow CFU-S decreased significantly, but only to 86 per cent of normal, cellularity of vertebral bone marrow, peripheral blood counts and survival of 239Pu-treated mice did not differ from the control data.     

Blockade of prostaglandin biosynthesis in intact mice dramatically augments the expansion of committed myeloid progenitor cells (colony-forming units-granulocyte, macrophage) after acute administration of recombinant human IL-1 alpha

Injection of human rIL-1 alpha in intact normal mice has positive and negative effects on myelopoiesis. Within 6 h postinjection, peripheral neutrophilia can be demonstrated. However, bone marrow and spleen cells capable of inhibiting CFU-granulocyte macrophage proliferation are detected between 6 and 48 h postinjection. These myelopoietic suppressor cells belong to the monocytic lineage and are identical to inhibitory cells induced by PGE2. Treatment of mice with indomethacin, a PG synthesis inhibitor, completely blocked the generation of IL-1-alpha-induced myelopoietic suppressor cells, and significantly enhanced femoral and splenic CFU-GM proliferation after a single injection of 0.4 microgram/mouse IL-1. The peripheral blood neutrophilia observed within 6 h after IL-1 injection was delayed to 18 to 24 h postinjection in indomethacin-pretreated mice. In mice treated with four consecutive daily injections of 0.4 microgram IL-1, a sustained peripheral neutrophilia was observed. IL-1 had little effect on femoral CFU-GM in these animals, however, splenic CFU-GM was increased 7- to 10-fold by 4 to 7 days postinjection. In IL-1 plus indomethacin-treated mice, sustained peripheral neutrophilia was observed although to a lesser degree than with IL-1 alone. Marrow CFU-GM were relatively unaffected, however, splenic CFU-GM were increased by 27-fold. These results indicate that the in vivo administration of IL-1 results in neutrophilia and generation of myelopoietic suppressive effects, mediated by cyclo-oxygenase pathway products. Blockade of PG synthesis by using the cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor indomethacin abrogates the myelopoietic suppressive effects associated with IL-1 administration and optimizes its myelopoietic stimulatory capacity. The inclusion of a cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor may have significant relevance to the clinical use of IL-1.     

Administration of IL-7 to mice with cyclophosphamide-induced lymphopenia accelerates lymphocyte repopulation

Lymphopenia was induced in mice by a single injection of cyclophosphamide. IL-7 or a control protein were administered to the mice twice daily and the cellularity and composition of the spleen, lymph node, bone marrow, and thymus were determined at various time points thereafter. In comparison to the control cyclophosphamide-treated mice, animals receiving cyclophosphamide and IL-7 had an accelerated regeneration of splenic and lymph node cellularity. There was no significant difference in the rate of recovery of the bone marrow and thymus of the control and IL-7-treated mice. Assessment of the pre-B cell compartment revealed a dramatic increase in total pre-B cell numbers in the spleen and bone marrow of the IL-7-treated mice as measured by both flow microfluorimetry and a pre-B cell colony-forming assay. This was followed in a few days by a significant increase in surface IgM+B cell numbers to levels above normal values in both the spleen and lymph node. IL-7 administration to cyclophosphamide-treated mice also resulted in an accelerated recovery of peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ cell numbers in the spleen and lymph node. The numbers of CD8+ cells were increased by twofold over normal levels in cyclophosphamide-treated mice receiving IL-7. Myeloid recovery was determined in cyclophosphamide treated mice by assessing the numbers of CFU-granulocyte-macrophage and Mac 1+ cells. There was no significant difference in myeloid recovery between cyclophosphamide-treated mice receiving IL-7 or control protein. These results suggest that administration of IL-7 after chemical-induced lymphopenia may have therapeutic benefits in shortening the period required to achieve normal lymphoid cellularity.     

PTP1B deficiency exacerbates inflammation and accelerates leukocyte trafficking in vivo

It is reported that PTP1B limits cytokine signaling in vitro. However, PTP1B's function during inflammation in vivo is not known. In this report, we determined whether PTP1B deficiency affects allergic inflammation in vivo. Briefly, lungs of OVA-challenged PTP1B(-/-) mice had elevated numbers of eosinophils and eosinophil progenitors at 6 h after one OVA challenge and at 24 h after a third OVA challenge as compared with OVA-challenged wild-type mice. There was also an increase in numbers of CD11b(+)SiglecF(+)CD34(+)IL-5Rα(+) eosinophil progenitors in the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and spleens of OVA-challenged PTP1B(-/-) mice. Intravital microscopy revealed that, in OVA-challenged PTP1B(-/-) mice, blood leukocytes rapidly bound to endothelium (5-30 min), whereas, in wild-type mice, blood leukocytes bound to endothelium at the expected 6-18 h. Consistent with early recruitment of leukocytes, lung eotaxin and Th2 cytokine levels were elevated early in the PTP1B(-/-) mice. Interestingly, spleen leukocytes from PTP1B(-/-) mice exhibited an increased chemotaxis, chemokinesis, and transendothelial migration in vitro. In summary, PTP1B functions as a critical negative regulator to limit allergic responses.     

Evaluation of leukocyte number by using an automated blood cell counter and a traditional hematological method in animals irradiated with gamma rays

Female mice were irradiated with a single whole body dose of 7 Gy of gamma-rays. Leucocyte numbers were monitored in the peripheral blood using automated blood cell counter Coulter counter and a traditional hematological method with a light microscope in the Bürker chamber. Reticulocyte numbers, RNA blood concentration, spleen weight and morphological changes in spleen and bone marrow were also studied. In the period between 15th-19th days after irradiation the numbers of leucocytes obtained by CC counting were manifold higher than those obtained by microscope counting. Since this period is characterised by a steep increase in the reticulocyte number and RNA concentration in blood as well as by increased weight of spleen as the result of marked regeneration of extramedullar erythropoiesis, leukocytes as well as reticulocytes are assumed to be additionally registered by the automated counter CC in this period, probably due to a higher resistance of reticulocytes to the lysing agent Zapoglobine.     

Colony-forming activity of hematopoietic stem cells in tolerant mice as affected by antigens

The effect of sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and human red blood cells (HRBC) on the amount of CFUs in the bone marrow and spleen of (CBA X C57BL/6) FI SRBC-tolerant mice was studied. The increase in the number of bone marrow and spleen CFUs was demonstrated in SRBC-tolerant mice injected with HRBC. Using SRBC test injection the increase in CFUs amount was observed in the spleen, but not the bone marrow, where the amount of CFUs remained unchanged.