Cimetidine and the immune response. I. In vivo augmentation of nonspecific and specific immune response.
Cimetidine is a commonly prescribed histamine antagonist useful in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. Histamine receptors are found on suppressor T cells and therefore we expected to observe enhanced immune responsiveness in animals treated with this drug. Mice given daily subcutaneous injections of cimetidine (25 or 100 mg/kg) were found to produce approximately twice as much specific antibody in response to tetanus toxoid immunization. Furthermore, mitogen-stimulated splenocytes from cimetidine-treated animals proliferated to a greater extent and produced more immunoglobulin in vitro than controls. These observations offer direct in vivo evidence for immunomodulation by cimetidine.
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006146:Guanidines / Q000276:immunology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D013743:Tetanus Antitoxin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism
D006146:Guanidines; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D008934:Mitogens; D013743:Tetanus Antitoxin; D002927:Cimetidine; D013936:Thymidine