title: Restoration of impaired immune functions in aging animals. IV. Action of 2-mercaptoethanol in enhancing age-reduced immune responsiveness.
abstract: The enhancing effect of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) on the immune responses of young and old unseparated spleen cells and purified populations of T-cells, B-cells and macrophages was studied. While 2-ME enhances both the normal responses of young cells and the age-reduced responses of old cells, the sulfhydryl compound has a relatively greater enhancing effect on old spleen cells in the humoral response to sheep red blood cells and the blastogenic response to concanavalin A (Con A). The greater enhancing effect in the humoral response appears to be due to 2-ME overcoming a suppressive effect of old T-cells which develops with increasing age. The greater enhancing effect in Con A stimulation appears to be an effect on the Con A responsive sub-population of T-cells and not on the synergistic effect of the presence of B-cells.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008623:Mercaptoethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D003208:Concanavalin A; D008623:Mercaptoethanol