title: In vitro depression of bovine lymphocyte function by treatment of cultured bovine lymphocytes with physiologic concentrations of hydrocortisone.
abstract: The effect of hydrocortisone (hydrocortisone sodium succinate) on bovine lymphocyte blastogenesis in response to Staphylococcus aureus antigens and phytohemagglutinin was measured in vitro. Lymphocytes isolated from the blood of cows were treated for 6 to 8 days with physiologic hydrocortisone concentrations known to be inducible by environmental stress (10 ng/ml), acute clinical mastitis (25 ng/ml), or adrenocorticotropin treatment (45 ng/ml). All 3 concentrations of hydrocortisone caused a depression (P less than 0.01) in lymphocyte blastogenesis in response to phytohemagglutinin and S aureus antigen extract. Hydrocortisone concentrations as low as 10 pg/ml caused a depression in the lymphocyte blastogenic response to phytohemagglutinin. Marked variation existed among cows in the normal response of their nontreated lymphocytes and in the degree of depression of lymphocyte function after the in vitro treatment with hydrocortisone. Macrophage depletion experiments showed that the suppressive effect of hydrocortisone was not mediated by induction of suppressor macrophages. The data suggest that T-cell function was impaired directly by hydrocortisone treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ojo-Amaize
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Guidry
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paape
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Mayer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D002417:Cattle / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000276:immunology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D006854:Hydrocortisone