Effect of local anaesthetics on immune reactivity.

Two local anaesthetics, pentacaine and trimecaine, were assayed for their effects on immune reactivity of mice in the regional popliteal lymph node after local injection of the antigen, on the regional graft-versus-host reaction and on the ability to reject skin allografts. These local anaesthetics exhibited a dose-dependent, immunosuppressive effect on all the systems used, although the mechanism of their action was different: pentacaine exerted a destructive effect on lymphocytes, whereas trimecaine induced a blockade of the lymphocyte functions.