Linked Life Data

11975761

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/11975761

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5
pubmed:dateCreated
2002-4-26
pubmed:abstractText
Administration of mercuric chloride into susceptible rats and mice induces a systemic autoimmune disease, which is characterized by a T-cell-dependent polyclonal B-cell activation, an increase in serum levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)G1 and IgE, production of antibodies of different specificities and development of renal IgG deposits. A peculiar feature of mercury-induced autoimmunity is that the polyclonal B-cell activation spontaneously disappears in spite of continuous injection of mercury. The exact mechanism(s) for autoregulation of mercury-induced autoimmunity is not well understood. In the present study, we analysed the regulation of mercury-induced immune/autoimmune responses in mice and tested whether spontaneous downregulation of these responses is owing to a general immunosuppression. Mercury-susceptible [SJL (H-2s)] and -resistant [DBA/2 (H-2d)] mice were injected with mercury for 4, 10, 15 and 17 weeks. Immune/autoimmune responses were monitored in these mice. Thereafter, mercury-injected mice for 17 weeks were further immunized with horse red blood cells (HRBC) to study whether the subsequent humoral immune response to a foreign antigen is suppressed. We found that except for IgG1 anti-nucleolar antibody production and renal IgG1 deposition, other characteristics of mercury-induced autoimmunity were downregulated in SJL (H-2s) mice after chronic treatment with mercury. However, these mice did not show any reduction in the number of splenic antibody-secreting cells and/or in serum titres of specific IgM, IgG1 and IgG2a anti-HRBC antibodies in response to HRBC as compared with naïve mice. Similarly, in mercury-resistant DBA/2 (H-2d) mice, chronic treatment with mercury did not either suppress specific antibody responses against HRBC. Our findings show that the autoregulation of mercury-induced immune/autoimmune responses observed after chronic treatment with mercury is not owing to a general immunosuppression.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
May
pubmed:issn
0300-9475
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
55
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
493-502
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2002
pubmed:articleTitle
Spontaneous downregulation of antibody/autoantibody synthesis in susceptible mice upon chronic exposure to mercuric chloride is not owing to a general immunosuppression.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Immunology, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't