Central catecholamine depletion impairs in vivo immunity but not in vitro lymphocyte activation.

We have previously shown that depletion of central nervous system (CNS) catecholamines by injecting the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the cisterna magna of C57B1/6 mice markedly impairs the humoral immune response to sheep red blood cells. This work extends these observations by showing that 6-OHDA treatment also inhibits the humoral antibody response to the T-cell-dependent antigen trinitrophenyl-keyhole limpet hemocyanin, but does not affect the response to the T-independent antigen trinitrophenyl-lipopolysaccharide. This treatment also impairs humoral responsiveness at peripheral lymphoid sites in addition to inhibiting natural killer cell activity. However, 6-OHDA treatment in vivo does not affect in vitro mixed lymphocyte responsiveness, mitogen-induced lymphocyte activation or antigen presentation by macrophages.