Modulation by neurotransmitters (norepinephrine, serotonin) of the murine antibody response to autologous and heterologous erythrocytes.

The modulation by norepinephrine and serotonin of the persistent antibody response to autologous and heterologous erythrocytes has been studied in [(C27Bl6xCBA/Ca) F1] mice. Serotonin (subcutaneously administered) transiently decreased the response to both autologous erythrocytes and rat erythrocytes; nevertheless, inhibition of serotonin synthesis (with p-chloro-phenylalanine) barely affected the responses. The influence of norepinephrine has been investigated by (subcutaneous) administration of ephedrine (a sympathomimetic) or by neonatal sympathectomy with 6-hydroxydopamine. Neither the sympathomimetic nor the sympathectomy substantially altered the response (of adult mice) to autologous or heterologous erythrocytes. Treatment with p-chloro-phenylalanine of adult mice (which had been neonatally treated with 6-hydroxydopamine) resulted in impaired responses to both autologous and heterologous erythrocytes. On the whole, a fall in the level of norepinephrine or serotonin exerted, at most, a minor influence on the persistent antibody response to self and foreign erythrocytes, but a decrease of both amines exerted a greater influence.