ROLE OF PINEAL-GLAND IN THE PROLIFERATION OF COLONY-FORMING-UNITS FOR GRANULOCYTES AND MACROPHAGES (CFU-GM) FROM RAT BONE-MARROW CELL-CULTURE

Over the last few years an increasing number of reports focus on a possible relationship between the pineal gland and certain immunological functions, In the current experiments we investigated the influence of the pineal gland on a distinct immune parameter. namely that of the in vitro proliferation of stem and precursor cells for granulocytes and macrophages of the bone marrow cells of male rats. 1. The pineal gland or its main hormone melatonin seem to have a regulatory role in the proliferation of colony forming units for granulocyte macrophages in rat bone marrow cell cultures. 2. Further, even the time of a surgical pinealectomy and an eventual melatonin injection may play an important role in expressing the activity of CFU-GM's in rat bone marrow cell cultures