concanavalin-a and Morphine-Dependence

We have previously shown that abrupt withdrawal (AW) from morphine induces greater than 80% immunosuppression in murine spleen cells, as assessed by the capacity to mount an in vitro plaque-forming cell response to sheep red blood cells. Present studies about the mechanisms of immunosuppression following AW showed that addition of highly enriched (CD11b+) splenic macrophages (obtained by cell sorting or magnetic separation) from AW mice to cultures of normal, unfractionated spleen cells suppressed immune responses. Further, addition of highly enriched (CD19+) B cells (but not T cells) from AW mice to normal cells was also immunosuppressive. B cells from AW mice were also able to inhibit the proliferative response of normal spleen cells to concanavalin A but not to lipopolysaccharide. Overall, the data suggest that immunosuppression by AW spleen cells is a result of active suppression by macrophages and B cells.

Topics: Acute Disease; Animals; Antigens, CD19; B-Lymphocytes; CD11 Antigens; Cell Proliferation; Cells, Cultured; Coculture Techniques; Concanavalin A; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Immune Tolerance; Immunomagnetic Separation; Inflammation Mediators; Lipopolysaccharides; Macrophages; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Morphine; Morphine Dependence; Narcotics; Spleen; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome

Topics: Animals; Concanavalin A; Drug Interactions; Female; Humans; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocytes; Male; Mice; Morphine Dependence; Naloxone; Thymidine