Abstract
Summary
Employing a modified McNall procedure for determining serum properdin it was shown that in C57/BL mice growing Ehrlich ascites carcinoma there was a progressive drop of serum properdin after 3 days. Similar decreases of serum properdin values in C3H and A/He mice occurred when they were growing Gardner lymphosarcoma and L No. 2 lymphoma, respectively. On the contrary, when C57/BL mice were given either repeated injections of 2000 r X-irradiated Ehrlich carcinoma, or repeated injections of X-irradiated tumor and 3 to 5 challenges of viable tumor, there was a transient drop with a return to a normal blood level of properdin. However, numerous challenges (11-16) of mice that received repeated injections of X-irradiated tumor resulted in a significant lowering of the serum properdin, but not to levels produced with actively growing tumor. There appeared to be a correlation of serum properdin with cancer growth. During cancer growth there was a fall in serum properdin, while regression was accompanied by a rise back to control levels of serum properdin.
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