Academic Editor: Mateusz Maciejczyk
Background: This report aims to detail the use of the
phosphorescence oxygen analyzer for in vitro investigation of thymic
responses to pharmaceutical agents, in particular immunosuppressants and
immunomodulators. Sirolimus (a highly specific inhibitor of the ‘molecular target
of rapamycin’, mTOR) and ozanimod (an agonist of the sphingosine 1-phosphate
receptor, recently approved for treatment of multiple sclerosis and ulcerative
colitis) are used for this purpose. Methods: Thymic fragments from mice
were placed in glass vials containing phosphate-buffered saline, bovine albumin,
and Pd(II) meso-tetra (sulfophenyl) tetrabenzoporphyrin. The vials were sealed
from air, and the cellular oxygen consumption was monitored as function of time.
Results: The decline of dissolved oxygen concentration with time
(d[O