Hormones and immunological capacity. II. Reconstitution of antibody production in hormonally deficient mice by somatotropic hormone, thyrotropic hormone and thyroxin.

Abstract

Hypopituitary dwarf mice are immunologically deficient. This deficiency can be overcome by injection of somatotropic hormone and thyroxin. Antibody formation in hormonally reconstituted mice as measured by the number of plaque-forming cells against sheep erythrocytes equals or surpasses that of normal mice. The number of nucleated spleen cells is increased in both normal and dward mice after treatment with hormones. The hypotrophic thymus and peripheral lymphoid tissue of dwarf mice can be reconstituted to normal by treatment with somatotropic hormone and thyroxin.