Abstract
Summary
The folic acid antagonist amethopterin has been utilized as an immunosuppressive agent in mice in supralethal dosages combined with delayed administration of folinic acid as a rescuing agent. This principle has been found effective in significantly prolonging the survival of skin grafts involving major histocompatibility differences. A schedule of injections of 30 mg/kg body weight given subcutaneously, with a 200 mg/kg folinic acid rescue intraperitoneally 6 hr later, given every 5 days, allowed maximum graft survival of up to 18 days. Pre-graft treatment was found to be without effect, and previous thymectomy seemed to exert a “protective” effect against both the therapeutic and toxic manifestations of amethopterin therapy.
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