The effect of immunomodulating treatment on cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity in MRL lpr/lpr mice.

An autoimmune disease in MRL lpr/lpr (MRL/l) mice is associated with a plethora of T-cell abnormalities, one of them being impaired delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH). Three immunomodulating drugs, cyclophosphamide (Cy), cyclosporin A (CsA) and LS 2616, all with beneficial effects on autoimmune diseases, have been examined with regard to their potential effects on DTH in female MRL/l mice and in healthy control mice. All three drugs, given as a single dose at the time of sensitization, increased DTH reactivity of oxazolone in healthy control mice, while only two of them, Cy and LS 2616, significantly augmented the defective DTH response in MRL/l mice.