Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5
pubmed:dateCreated
1991-8-29
pubmed:abstractText
Several lines of evidence suggest that the anterior pituitary hormone prolactin has a stimulatory role on immune function and that pharmacological suppression of prolactin secretion with the dopamine-agonist bromocriptine suppresses both humoral and cellular immunity. Here, we describe the effects of prolactin-suppression on the course of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in female Lewis rats. Initiation of continuous bromocriptine treatment before immunization reduced both the severity and incidence of clinical signs of acute experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis-immunized rats experienced a threefold rise in basal prolactin levels on day 4 after immunization and maintained elevated prolactin levels on day 10, before the onset of neurological signs of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. Bromocriptine treatment reduced prolactin levels to those of sham-immunized rats. In vivo bromocriptine pretreatment inhibited splenic lymphocyte proliferative responses in vitro to the immunizing antigen and to concanavalin A. Moreover, bromocriptine therapy was protective when initiated 1 week after the initial immunization and was also effective in suppression of late disease. These results indicate that (1) prolactin levels are elevated after immunization and before the onset of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, (2) bromocriptine inhibits both prolactin secretion and the severity of acute experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, and (3) inhibition is also present when treatment is begun after sensitization, suggesting an effect of prolactin on the effector limb of the immune response during experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
May
pubmed:issn
0364-5134
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
29
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
542-7
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1991
pubmed:articleTitle
The role of prolactin in autoimmune demyelination: suppression of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis by bromocriptine.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02129.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't