Immune responsiveness of adult mice exposed neonatally to diethylstilbestrol, steroid hormones, or vitamin A.
Neonatal hormone treatments with estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, or especially diethylstilbestrol (DES) were found to alter the immune responsiveness of spleen cells from female mice. No significant change in immunocompetence occurred in neonatally vitamin A-treated animals. In general, the hormone treatments caused an initial hyperstimulation of spleen cell response in 1-month-old mice, followed by a gradual decline in immune responsiveness from about 2 to 9 months of age. This hyperstimulation followed by a gradual loss of response was most apparent in the DES-treated group, and to a less extent in the testosterone and cortisol groups. Spleen cells from mice treated neonatally with estradiol or progesterone produced decreased graft-versus-host responses in the lymph node assay but were normal in all other immunological tests.
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006087:Graft vs Host Reaction / Q000187:drug effects; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D006728:Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007109:Immunity / Q000187:drug effects*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D013256:Steroids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000494:pharmacology*
D006728:Hormones; D008934:Mitogens; D013256:Steroids; D014801:Vitamin A; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol