THE INFLUENCE OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX ON ANTIBODY PRODUCTIONIN VITRO1

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Abstract
Investigations are reported of the influence of adrenalectomy and of injn. of adrenocorticotropic hormone and adrenal cortical extract on antibody development in tissues and serum in vivo, antibody release by splenic tissue in vitro, and the uptake of antibody by tissues in vitro. In general, the rate of development of hemolysin titers in the tissues and serum of rats injd. with a single intravenous dose of sheep erythrocytes could not be altered significantly by changes in the level of circulating adrenal cortical hormones. A possible exception to this may be seen in the delay in the development of high antibody titers in lymphoid tissue (mesenteric lymph nodes and thymus) in the adrenalectomized animal on the 4th day after antigen admn. This difference, however, appears to have disappeared by the 5th day, when most tissues and serum exhibit the peak of antibody response. In contrast, the rate of release of antibody to a serum medium in vitro by splenic tissue was significantly affected by the degree of adrenal cortical activity. No new formation of antibody occurred in incubates of splenic tissue obtained from adrenalectomized animals. The production of antibody by splenic tissue in vitro was enhanced over the control value in animals injd. 2 hrs. earlier with potent adrenal cortical extract or pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone. The discrepancy between the in vivo and in vitro results may be explained by the observation that antibody uptake by various tissues in vitro, particularly by liver and mesenteric lymph nodes, may be depressed by previous adrenalectomy and, possibly, enhanced by injn. of hormone. This would obviously tend to make the level of circulating antibody a false index of the immune response. It may also be suggested that differences in antibody production, particularly at the peak of antibody response, would be masked by the high levels of antibody already present in the circulation.