title: In vivo effects of cyclosporine on influenza A virus-infected mice.
abstract: Cyclosporine (cyclosporin A, CsA) administered to mice substantially affects their immune response to an influenza A virus infection. If treated with CsA for 21 days, the mouse lungs contain high titers of virus which are cleared more slowly than in controls. Indicators of pathological damage--lung weight, extent of consolidation, fine morphology, and the extent of infiltration of dividing cells into the lung--showed that administration of CsA greatly decreased the level of inflammation. The production of hemagglutination-inhibiting (HI) antibody was delayed but reached almost control levels and NK cell activity in the lung was also comparable to control levels. In contrast, a delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to the virus could not be elicited in the CsA-treated, infected mice at 6 or 12 days after infection. Cytotoxic-T-cell (Tc-cell) activity was present in the lungs of such mice though its appearance was delayed and the activity recovered was less than that of the control infected mice. If administered with a dose of virus lethal for normal mice. CSA-treated mice survived, probably due to the greatly reduced level of immunopathological damage in the infected lung.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schiltknecht
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Ada
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D003524:Cyclosporins