Identification of the corticosteroid-sensitive cells in antibody responses in mice.
To elucidate the cellular basis of corticosteroid-induced suppression of antibody response, the immune responses of hydrocortisone-pretreated mice against various antigens, both thymus-dependent and thymus-independent antigens, were compared with those of normal mice. The in vitro antibody responses to some antigens were also studied by a combination of lymphocyte subpopulations and macrophages from normal and hydrocortisone-treated mouse spleen. It was shown that the antibody responses to all antigens tested were significantly reduced by hydrocortisone. Experimental results in vitro also suggested that the susceptibility of splenic B cells to hydrocortisone treatment was higher than that of T cells, although the helper T cell function was significantly suppressed by hydrocortisone. No impairment of macrophage functions by hydrocortisone was observed in our experiments.
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000494:pharmacology; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D012756:Sheep / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D006854:Hydrocortisone