Restorative effect of short term administration of thymulin on thymus-dependent antibody production in restraint-stressed mice.
Thymulin is a well defined nonapeptide produced by thymic epithelial cells, and plays an important role in thymocyte differentiation. We investigated the restorative effect of thymulin on the stress-induced reduction in the production of antibodies against SRBC in mice. Antibody production in stressed mice was reduced to about 50% of that in normal mice. A 3-day period of administration of thymulin (1 ng/kg) restored antibody production to close to the normal level, whereas thymulin (1 ng-1 microgram/kg) did not affect antibody production in normal mice. These results indicated that thymulin normalizes the altered thymus-dependent immune responses.
Okamoto
M
M
Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, Central Research Laboratories, Osaka, Japan.
Morishita
M
M
Setoguchi
C
C
Nakata
K
K
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002712:Chlorides / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000276:immunology*; D013935:Thymic Factor, Circulating / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000502:physiology*; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology
D002712:Chlorides; D017967:Zinc Compounds; C016837:zinc chloride; D013935:Thymic Factor, Circulating