[Mechanisms of the immunodepression caused by ortho-aminoazotoluene and its noncarcinogenic analog in mice].

Single injections of ortho-aminoazotoluene (OAT) or aminoazobenzene (AB) decrease the immune response of DD mice to the strain-nonspecific Krebs-2 tumor. The immunosuppressive action of AB is due to its toxicity for lymphoid cells, whereas the OAT effect is mediated by adrenal glands. After OAT injection,II-oxycorticosteroids level is elevated although their production by adrenal glands is not increased. The accumulation of glucocorticoids in blood after OAT injection is assumed to be the result of a decreased hormone utilization because of the blockade of receptor proteins or metabolizing enzymes in liver cells by a carcinogen.