Measurement of in vivo cytotoxicity by flow cytometry

Objective To establish a new method of measuring cell mediated cytotoxicity in vivo by flow cytometric assay.Methods The target cells and non-targets cells were labeled with different concentration of 5,6-carboxy-succinimidyl-fluorescence-ester(CFSE)and were subsequently transfered into mouse through tail vein,and then the splenic lymphocytes were harvested to detect the specific cytotoxicity by FCS after 16 h.Results CFSE could effectively label targets cells,and FCS could also successfully detect the proportion of dead target cells.Conclusion Flow cytometry can effectively detect cytotoxicity in vivo by labelling target cells with CFSE,which may be widely used in the tumor immunology and transplantation.