Immunological studies with aortic and venous tissue antigens. III. Examination of cell-mediated and humoral immune response induced by human vascular antigens.

The effects of human vascular antigens on the cell-mediated and the humoral immune response were studied in guinea pigs. In animals immunized with buffer extracts of aortic and venous wall a well measurable cell-mediated and humoral immune response were developed. Between the two kinds of vascular extracts in the skin tests, migration inhibition tests and antibody-production tests a cross-reactivity was observed, whereas the induction of desoxyribonucleic acid-synthesis proved to be specific. No cellular or humoral immune response to vascular extracts was detectable in the control animals. Analysing the time-kinetics of the cell-mediated and humoral immune response it was found, that with the increased production of antibodies the cellular immune reactions did not cease until the ninth week.