FTY720, a Novel Immunosuppressant, Induces Sequestration of Circulating Mature Lymphocytes by Acceleration of Lymphocyte Homing in Rats. I. FTY720 Selectively Decreases the Number of Circulating Mature Lymphocytes by Acceleration of Lymphocyte Homing

FTY720, given i.v. or orally at 0.03 mg/kg or more, significantly prolonged skin allograft survival in a dose-dependent manner and showed more potent immunosuppressive activity than cyclosporin A (CsA) or tacrolimus (FK506) in MHC-incompatible rat strains of WKAH donors and F344 recipients. However, unlike CsA or FK506, FTY720 up to 1000 nM did not affect IL-2 production in allogeneic MLC. Within 3 to 24 h after a single oral administration of FTY720 at 0.1 to 1 mg/kg, the number of lymphocytes in the rats was markedly decreased in the peripheral blood and thoracic duct lymph and partially in spleen. By contrast, the number of lymphocytes in peripheral lymph nodes (PLN), mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), and Peyer’s patches (PP) was significantly increased at the same time. Intravenous transfusion of calcein-labeled rat lymphocytes into rats revealed that FTY720 significantly accelerated lymphocyte homing to PLN, MLN, and PP, dose dependently. Since FTY720-induced lymphocyte homing was completely blocked by simultaneous treatment of the calcein-labeled lymphocytes with mAbs against CD62L, CD49d, and CD11a before the transfusion, the acceleration of lymphocyte homing by FTY720 appears to be mediated by lymphocyte-homing receptors. These findings indicate that FTY720 sequesters circulating mature lymphocytes into PLN, MLN, and PP by acceleration of lymphocyte homing and thereby decreases the number of lymphocytes in peripheral blood, thoracic duct lymph, and spleen. Based on these observations, sequestration of circulating mature-lymphocytes is presumed to be a main mechanism of the immunosuppressive activity of FTY720.