Influences of the submaxillary gland of male mice on the immune response to sheep red blood cells.

Removal of the submaxillary gland (SMG) from male but not female mice caused a suppressed immune response to sheep red blood cells. Administration of a SMG saline extract from male mice to SMG-ectomized males restored the suppressed response to control levels. This suggests that the male mouse SMG contains a factor(s), possibly of an endocrine nature, capable of influencing cells involved in an immune response.