Studies on splenic population size feedback control regulatory mechanisms

In previous studies, experimental splenosis was produced in normal rodents and in animals following splenectomy. Splenosis was more in splenectomised than in normal animals. In the present study, in animals into whom splenic fragments were implanted subcutaneously, there were less peritoneal splenic growth areas than in controls. The hypothesis is presented that there is a population size feedback control regulatory mechanism operating in splenic growth and regeneration. If such regulators are present in the circulation, administration of normal plasma should inhibit splenosis and this may serve as a model to isolate such regulators. This was not the case in these experiments.