The Effect of Various Hormones on the Humoral Immune Response of Murine Lymphocytes in Vitro

Abstract

Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and steroid hormones were tested for their direct effects on murine lymphocyte humoral response to sheep RBCs using an in vitro culture system. A significant increase in plaque forming cells (PFC) was induced by the addition of HCG at a dose of either 50 i.u. or 500 i.u. However, no increase was observed by the addition of steroid hormones. HCG may contribute to the success of fetal allografts by increasing the number of blocking antibodies in the early stages of pregnancy.