122 The Lymphocyte and Lymphocytic Tissue 



is tempting to speculate, and indeed seems warranted, that once an altera- 

 tion has occurred in such a way that the immature cell can continue to 

 resist maturing effects of Cortisol, the seed bed may continue to grow and 

 that this possibly may be essentially the situation in lymphatic leukemia. 



As discussed above, the greatest effect of Cortisol on lymphocytes is on the 

 small cells, which in turn, we now know, are incapable of bringing about 

 any demonstrable catabolic changes in this hormone. 25 Immature lympho- 

 cytes and lymphatic leukemic cells have been shown to have the capacity to 

 convert Cortisol to several steroids which lack any observable lympho- 

 cytorrhectic effect. 



SUMMARY 



It is apparent that Cortisol acts as such and not through a metabolically 

 altered form of this molecule. Before we speculate on its mechanism of ac- 

 tion on lymphocytes, several points should be re-emphasized. One is that 

 immature lymphocytes and leukemic cells can catabolize Cortisol. They con- 

 vert it into several products which do not possess any lymphocytokaryor- 

 rhectic activity. This, of course, emphasizes the fact that the malignant cell 

 is able to maintain its integrity and activity because it can inactivate a hor- 

 mone which destroys its normal counterpart. The process of budding and 

 lymphocytorrhexis once initiated by Cortisol continues when this hormone 

 is either gone or has been converted to other noneffective steroids. With 

 these points in mind, one may speculate, then, as to Avhy Cortisol produces 

 its effect on the lymphocyte. The possibilities by which the hormonal 

 lymphocytorrhectic effect occurs could be threefold: 



1. Enzyrnic: the effect could be through loss of enzymatic activity on the 

 catabolism of the hormone by the most mature cells and/or a loss of 

 the coenzymes necessary for the transhydrogenation of the steroids 

 (DPN and TPNH) which are essential for the inactivation of the 

 hormone. - ,; 



2. Transport: the effect could be directly on the cell membrane, and the 

 permeability of the hormone to get at the enzyme-coenzyme system is 

 reduced; therefore, the inactivation would also be decreased. 



!'). A combination of these two possibilities. 



REFERENCES 



1. Dougherty, T. F. Effect of hormones on lymphatic tissue. Pliysiol. Rev. 

 ?2;379-401, 1952. 



2. Dougherty, T. F. Adrenal Cortical Control of Lymphatic Tissue Mass," in 



