Androgen sensitivity and autoimmune disease. I. Influence of sex and testosterone on the humoral immune response of autoimmune and non-autoimmune mouse strains to sheep erythrocytes.

Pre- and post-puberal NZB, DBA/2 and BALB/c mice showed no sex differences in primary IgM plaque-forming cell responses to sheep erythrocyte immunization. Orchiectomy increased and testosterone implants reduced antibody responses only if followed by sublethal irradiation suggesting that androgens may affect rapidly regenerating stem cells and/or their differentiating progeny. Strain differences in target organ sensitivity to androgen were not observed suggesting that NZB autoimmunity does not arise from a pathologic defect in androgen responsiveness.