Pharmacological modulation of erythrocyte autoimmune reactions in mice.

Injection of mice with rat erythrocytes induces both anti-rat and autoimmune anti-erythrocyte responses. The autoimmune response is under active suppression which can be demonstrated by transfer of spleen cells from immunised donors to naive recipients subsequently injected with erythrocytes. This system allows investigation of immunemodulatory agents on responses to self and non-self antigens in three ways the autoantibody and anti-rat erythrocyte responses in mice receiving the drugs and rat erythrocytes; the responses in mice receiving transferred cells from dosed immunised donors; and the responses in mice receiving transferred cells from non dosed immunised donors and themselves receiving erythrocytes plus drugs. The effect of a range of compounds with immunemodulatory activity was examined in the three test situations and both suppression and enhancement of the autoimmune response were observed. Comparison of effects on anti-rat and autoimmune antibody levels has confirmed previous results that these responses are subject to separate controlling mechanisms.