RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORALLY INDUCED IMMUNE TOLERANCE AND LOCAL IMMUNE-RESPONSE

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. C129  (6) , 881-885
Abstract
BALB/c mice were immunized by intragastric immunization with sheep red blood cells repeated daily for 4 days. This immunization resulted in the appearance of circulating antibodies which were predominantly of the Ig[immunoglobulin]A class. When serum from intragastrically immunized mice was administered i.p. to recipient animals 8 h before parenteral immunization with sheep red blood cells, the subsequent immune response was depressed proportionally to the dose of serum injected. When intragastrically immunized mice were challenged i.p. with sheep red blood cells, the level of the IgM response to the parenteral stimulation was in inverse ratio to the IgA response induced by the oral route. Orally induced IgA production is apparently related to orally induced immune tolerance and systemic hyporesponsiveness may be achieved while gut plasma cells are producing specific IgA.