title: The influence of dexamethasone on behaviorally conditioned immunomodulation and plasma corticosterone.
abstract: Utilizing a conditioned taste aversion paradigm we have previously shown that rats re-exposed to a saccharin solution previously paired with cyclophosphamide (CY) demonstrate significantly reduced in vitro mitogen-induced spleen cell proliferation and IgM secretion assessed 24 h after saccharin re-exposure. In this report treatment of similarly conditioned rats with dexamethasone (DEX) either before conditioning or before re-exposure abrogated the conditioned modulation of pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-induced spleen cell proliferation. The finding that DEX pretreatment on the conditioning day was as effective in abrogating the conditioned response as DEX treatment prior to the test day does not support pituitary-adrenal mediation of the conditioned immusuppressive effect following re-exposure of conditioned animals to the CS. There was no significant conditioned immunosuppression observed with respect to PHA- and Con A-induced proliferation and the influence of DEX on these parameters could not be assessed. The effect on PWM-induced IgM production was inconclusive since the reduced IgM response among conditioned animals was of only borderline significance.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Kusnecov
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Husband
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood*; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007148:Immunoglobulin mu-Chains / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D007148:Immunoglobulin mu-Chains; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens; D003907:Dexamethasone; D003345:Corticosterone