Blood, 1953, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 72-80.
© 1953 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
The Experimental Production of Splenomegaly, Anemia
and Leukopenia in Albino Rats
J. G. PALMER M.D.1,
E. J. EICHWALD M.D.1,
G. E. CARTWRIGHT M.D.1, and
M. M. WINTROBE M.D., PH.D.1
1 Departments of Medicine and Pathology, University of Utah College
of Medicine Salt Lake City, Utah.
The intraperitoneal administration of methyl cellulose into rats over a period
of fifteen weeks resulted in the development of a syndrome characterized by
massive splenomegaly, hyperplasia of the bone marrow elements, normocytic,
normochromic anemia, reticulocytosis, leukopenia, a mild thrombocytopenia in
9 of the 10 animals, ascites, and infiltration of the spleen, liver and kidneys with
"storage-cell" macrophages. The administration of methyl cellulose to rats
previously splenectomized produced similar histologic lesions but failed to
produce the hematologic abnormalities.
It is suggested that the syndrome produced by methyl cellulose may represent
an experimental form of the process to which, in man, the term "secondary
hypersplenism" has been applied.
Submitted on August 9, 1952
Accepted on October 10, 1952
