The effect of indoxole on the corneal immunologic response.

To study the effect of locally administered indoxole (with polysorbate 80) on the inflammatory and immunologic responses, we made unilateral intracorneal injections of rabbit eyes with bovine gamma globulin (BGG). The indoxole was injected subconjunctivally one day before, and 1, 2, 3, and 5 days after the BGG injection. The homolateral lymph nodes, uveal tracts, and corneas of rabbits killed on postinjection days 6 and 12 were tested for antibody-forming cells (AFC) by a modification of the Jerne plaque technique. On day 6 the indoxole-treated eyes were more inflamed and had a greater number of AFC in the tested tissues than the control eyes, but in neither of these respects was there any essential difference between the treated and control eyes on day 12. The possible mechanisms by which indoxole achieved its effect were explored.