thymic-factor--circulating and Tuberculosis

The authors investigated spontaneous and induced secretion of cytokins at different stages of generalized tuberculosis. In the development of infection there were inhibited IL-2 synthesis in response to ConA, emerging activity of PNO-alpha in response to the inductors in blood serum and culture of peritoneal macrophages, enhanced secretion of IL-6. Complete immunodeficiency was associated with cessation of IL-2 synthesis by splenocytes, elevated production of IL-6 by peritoneal macrophages, low concentrations of PNO-alpha in the serum and peritoneal macrophage cultures. In the treatment of M. bovis-infected mice with antibacterial drugs alone IL-6 secretion by peritoneal macrophages and PNO-alpha activity in the serum were increased. Immunocorrection resulted in marked activation of IL-2 production by splenocytes in response to ConA as well as enhanced synthesis of IL-6 in unstimulated cultures of peritoneal macrophages.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Antitubercular Agents; Concanavalin A; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Drug Therapy, Combination; Immunity, Cellular; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Interleukin-2; Interleukin-6; Isoniazid; Mice; Mycobacterium bovis; Rifampin; Thymus Hormones; Tuberculosis; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

The effects of thymogen, thymalin and vilosen in combination with antituberculous drugs (isoniazid, streptomycin, rifampicin) were studied on 240 CBA mice with experimental tuberculosis. Thymus preparations supplemented to the complex treatment of experimental tuberculosis significantly increased their lifespan, contributed to a decrease in the index of spleen weight lung density and significantly increased the count of T lymphocytes and their proliferative activity as compared to those on antituberculous drugs alone. Thymogen was found to be the most effective in the complex treatment of experimental tuberculosis, whereas vilosen was the least. Thymogen plus vilosen proved to be the most beneficial combination of drugs.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Antitubercular Agents; Cell Division; Dipeptides; Drug Therapy, Combination; Mice; Mice, Inbred CBA; Peptides; T-Lymphocytes; Thymus Extracts; Thymus Hormones; Tuberculosis

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Dipeptides; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Immune System; Mice; Mice, Inbred CBA; Peptides; T-Lymphocytes; Thymus Extracts; Thymus Hormones; Tuberculosis

Topics: Animals; Drug Therapy, Combination; Guinea Pigs; Isoniazid; Levamisole; Mice; Thymus Hormones; Tuberculosis; Uracil

The effects were studied of the degree of immunodeficiency produced by thymectomy of one-month-old rats on the course of experimental tuberculosis induced 3, 6 and 9 months after thymectomy. Subject to study was also the effect of immunodeficiency correction with thymalin on the tuberculous process. It was established that the lungs of thymectomized rats infected 9 months after the thymectomy were damaged more severely as compared with control or thymalin-treated animals. In thymectomized rats treated with thymalin, the absolute content of medium-sized and big lymphocytes in peripheral blood was found to be lower, the content of small lymphocytes being unchanged throughout all observation periods. The time course of migration activity (spontaneous and in response to PPD) in rats treated with thymalin corresponded with the time course in controls in contrast to thymectomized rats which did not receive the treatment. The results indicate that tuberculosis severity depends on the degree of immunodeficiency and that the functional properties of immunocompetent cells may be corrected with thymalin.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Cell Migration Inhibition; Female; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Leukocyte Count; Lymphocytes; Rats; Thymectomy; Thymus Hormones; Tuberculin; Tuberculin Test; Tuberculosis