The Enhancement of Circulating Antibody Concentration by Adrenal Cortical Hormones

Abstract

The rate of antibody production to sheep erythrocytes has been increased in mice, rats, and rabbits by the subcutaneous injection of aqueous adrenal cortical extract at the times of antigen administration. Adrenal cortical extract injection also enhanced antibody production in mice and rabbits receiving as antigen either staphylococcal toxin, horse serum or egg albumin. The final antibody titer reached when hormone was given together with antigen was approximately twice as great as in animals receiving antigen alone. In rabbits hyperimmunized to sheep erythrocytes, a single subcutaneous injection of adrenal cortical extract produced within 6 to 12 hours after hormone injection a marked increase in antibody titer. The increase was approximately twice that present in the animals at the time of hyperimmunization. Twenty-five hours after the single injection of hormone, the titers had returned to approximately their initial values. Continued daily injection of adrenal cortical steroids in oil for 16 days, without further antigen, maintained the titer at a value higher than that seen in the animals before hormone was administered. A single injection of aqueous adrenal cortical extract into rabbits having circulating antibody to staphylococcal toxin, horse serum, egg albumin or pregnantmare serum gonadotrophin likewise produced a marked increase in titer within 6 to 12 hours after injection of hormone. It is suggested that the enhancement of antibody titer is due to the increased rate of release of antibody from lymphocytes effected by augmented amounts of pituitary-adrenal cortical hormones.