title: Thalidomide stimulates splenic IgM antibody response and cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity and alters leukocyte subpopulation numbers in female B6C3F1 mice.
abstract: Thalidomide has been shown to have antiinflammatory and, more recently, immunomodulating properties, which are beneficial for the treatment of an ever-increasing list of immune related diseases. Although considerable knowledge regarding thalidomide s antiinflammatory properties has been acquired, relatively little is known about its immunomodulating properties in vivo. In this paper, a panel of immune assays was used to evaluate immunomodulation in female B6C3F1 mice treated intraperitoneally for 28 days with thalidomide (30, 100, or 150 mg/kg/day). Spleen antibody forming cell response was significantly enhanced by 37% in mice treated with 150 mg/kg/day, despite an 8% decrease in the percentage of Ig+ B cells. A significant stimulatory trend was observed for the cytotoxic T cell response across thalidomide treatment groups. An evaluation of the spleen leukocyte subpopulations revealed a 23% increase in the absolute number of CD8+ T cells in the 150 mg/kg treatment group and a 9 and 11% decrease in the absolute number of NK cells in both the 100 and 150 mg/kg thalidomide treatment groups, respectively. These findings demonstrate that, in addition to modulating spleen leukocyte numbers, thalidomide also stimulates murine humoral and cellular immune responses in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298-6013, USA.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Karrow
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: McCay
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Musgrove
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Pettit
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Munson
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Germolec
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002452:Cell Count / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D013792:Thalidomide