Antibody Production by Spleen In Vitro

[摘要] This study has provided new evidence that antibody can be formed in a culture of minced spleen from immunized rabbits. Rabbits were studied for H-agglutinin production after immunization with typhoid vaccine. Spleen removed four days after a single intravenous injection of vaccine served as the basis for the test system. Antibody production continued for as long as three days. The reproducibility of the test system was evaluated statistically in order to assay the effect of the addition of a variety of chemicals on antibody production.Antibody formation in vitro required oxygen and was suppressed by sodium cyanide (10-2 through 10-4 M) and by salts of the heavy metals (at minimal concentrations indicated): manganous sulfate (10-3 M), ferric chloride (10-2 M), and cupric sulfate (10-4 M). Antibody formation in vitro was also suppressed in the presence of 100 mM sucrose and by the “essential” amino acids at 30 mM (combined total concentration) and by the reducing substances: reduced glutathione (15 mM), cysteine (15 mM or lower), and ascorbic acid (15 mM or lower) as well as by cortisone (32 mg %). With the exception of glutathione, and possibly sucrose, none of these substances (at concentrations which were found to be inhibiting) altered the antibody titer when incubated with immune serum. Thus, the various chemicals acted by inhibition of some phase of antibody formation by surviving cells in culture rather than by destruction of antibody once formed.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）