Stimulation by a hydroxythiazolobenzimidazole of enhanced formation of antibodies to sheep erythrocytes in vitro and in vivo.

A hydroxythiazolobenzimidazole, a low molecular weight compound, was found to have an immunoenhancing effect on both the in vivo and in vitro antibody response of mouse spleen cells to an optimum immunizing dose of sheep red blood cells. At noncytotoxic concentrations the optimum range of 25 to 50 micrograms per 5 x 19(6) spleen cells was most effective in vitro. Concentrations greater than 100 micrograms per culture were toxic in vitro and reduced cell viability as well as antibody responsiveness. The compound enhanced to an even greater degree the antibody response of spleen cell cultures immunized with suboptimum doses of SRBC. The background PFC response, in the absence of SRBC, also was stimulated by the benzimidazole. These immunoenhancing responses were not related to mitogenic effects, since increased thymidine uptake did not occur when normal mouse spleen cells were incubated with graded doses of the compound. Therefore, the immunostimulatory properties of the compound, both in vivo and in vitro, were not due to mitogenic stimulation of lymphoid cells.