[The role of serotonin in the immune system development and functioning during ontogenesis].

In this study, we investigated the influence of serotonin on the development and functioning of T- and B-cell-mediated immunity during ontogenesis using the pharmacological model of serotonin depletion in rat fetuses. It has been demonstrated that prenatal serotonin deficiency resulted in a decrease in thymus and spleen weights, changes in their cellular composition, and long-lasting disturbances in cell-mediated and humoral immunity in postnatal ontogenesis. The data obtained suggest that serotonin may be considered a morphogenic factor in development of the immune system.