Role of corticosterone in ethyl carbamate-induced immunosuppression in female BALB/c mice = BALB/c 마우스 암컷에서 ethyl carbamate에 의한 면역억제에 미치는 corticosterone의 역할에 관한 연구

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

We have recently demonstrated that the antibody response to the T-cell-dependent antigen, sheep red blood cells(SRBCs), was suppressed by ethyl carbamate in female BALB/c mice. At the same doses, ethyl carbamate decreased in the numbers of splenic macrophages. B cells, total T cells, CD4^(+) T cells and CD8^(+) T cells. In addition, the serum level of corticosterone was increased dose-dependently. To investigate the possible role of corticosterone in ethylcarbamate-induced immunosuppression, the antibody response to SRBCs and the subpopulation changes of splenocytes and thymocytes were determined in naive, sham-operated and adrenalectomized (ADX) female BALB/c mice. When the mice were treated intraperitoneally with 400 mg/kg ethyl carbamate, the antibody response was significantly suppressed by ethyl carbamated in naive and sham-operated mice in accompanying the decrease in spleen and thymus weights and/or the increase in the level of serum corticosterone. Meanwhile, the antibody response was not suppressed by ethyl carbamate in the ADX mice. The splenic numbers of total cells, macrophages B and T cells, and CD4^(+) cells were decreased by ethyl carbamate in naive and sham-operated mice. Meanwhile, each cell number was comparable with control in the ADX mice. The flow cytometric analyses on thymocytes did not show obvious differences as seen in the spleen. Finally, when the ADX mice were treated intraperitoneally with 25 mg/kg corticosterone, the antibody response was significantly suppressed. Taken together, our present results suggested that corticosterone might be, at least partially, responsible for ethy; carbamate-induced immunosuppression in female BALB/c mice. ⓒ 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.