Differential effect of cyclosporin A (CyA) on IgE response: role of CyA-induced suppressor cells.

Administration of cyclosporin A (CyA, 30 mg/kg) for the five days following immunization of Brown Norway rats with DNP14-OVA in alum abolished the primary total and specific IgE response, whereas this treatment had no significant effect on the secondary IgE response. On the contrary, with a single injection of CyA on the day of priming, the secondary IgE response only is abolished. The inhibition of the secondary IgE response could be attributed to the induction by a single dose of CyA of nylon wool-adherent spleen cells, as shown by passive transfer experiments. CyA might thus affect the IgE response variously depending on single or repeated administrations.