The effects of synthetic polymeric agents on immune responses of nude mice.

The influence of synthetic polymeric agents on the immune responsiveness of congenitally athymic (nude) mice was investigated by determining the effects of in vivo treatment with polynucleotides and polymeric haptenated antigens on splenic theta-bearing cells, on mitogen stimulation and on plaque-forming cell responses to thymic dependent and thymic independent antigens. Contrary to in vitro data, no evidence was obtained to demonstrate in vivo restoration of these immune parameters by the use of non-specific immune enhancers. Further, despite the continued release of lipopolysaccharide from the bowel, older nude mice (10 months old) demonstrated no acquisition of improved T-cell function. Nude mice responded well to the thymic independent antigen p-azobenzenearsonate-N-acetyl-tyrosylglycylglycine (A-TGG) Ficoll. Finally, the class specific responses to the thymic independent antigen DNP-Ficoll were significantly different from those of nu/+ littermate controls, indicating the importance of thymic influences upon the class switching of immunoglobulin responses.