[Regulation of antibody production by monokines and glucocorticoids].

The antibody production by B lymphocytes is regulated by a number of interleukins produced by T lymphocytes and/or monocytic cells: IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and interferons. This response is also under the influence of other mediators such a glucocorticosteroid hormones. The in vivo administration of pharmacological doses of steroids do not markedly suppress the in vivo antibody response to exogeneous antigens. This is due to a contrasting effect: they prefoundly inhibit the production of most interleukins whereas they directly stimulate B lymphocyte response. We recently analyzed the mechanisms of this latter phenomenon and showed that glucocorticosteroids synergize with the monocyte-derived cytokines IL-1 and IL-6 to potentiate the in vitro B lymphocyte differentiation.