Dimethyl sulfoxide: lack of suppression of the humoral immune response in mice.
Mice were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 100% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or sterile saline (controls) for 36 days. The mice received 0.05 ml daily for one week, 0.025 ml every other day for the second week (because the DMSO-treated mice appeared weak), and 0.05 ml daily for 3 more weeks. All mice were immunized twice with sheep red blood cells (days 13 and 24), and bled twice by caudal incision (days 20 and 29). Hematocrits were significantly decreased (P less than or equal to 0.002) but still within the normal range. The primary and secondary antibody response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC), leukocyte counts, body weight, and the size of the heart, lungs, spleen, thymus, and kidneys were not affected. DMSO treatment resulted in significant liver enlargement (P = 0.02). It is concluded that this dose of DMSO is not deleterious to the humoral immune response in mice responding to a new antigen.
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006400:Hematocrit; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D012756:Sheep / Q000276:immunology
D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide