Figure 1
From: Neural Signaling in the Spleen Controls B-Cell Responses to Blood-Borne Antigen
Pharmacological stimulation of the cholinergic antiinflammatory pathway dampens the antibody response to heat-killed pneumococcus. (A) Mice injected daily i.p. with 1 mg/kg of nicotine, 40 mg/kg/d of the α7 nicotinic receptor agonist GTS-21, or saline as a control, starting 1 d before i.v. immunization with Streptococcus pneumoniae (109 CFU/mouse). The number of specific ASCs was determined by ELISpot assay on PC-coated plates on d 6 after immunization. (B) Serum levels of anti-PC antibodies were determined by ELISA at d 6 after immunization. (C) Mice immunized with Streptococcus pneumoniae and injected with the nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine at 1 mg/kg/d 20 min before each nicotine injection. Nicotine/mecalymine injections started 1 d before immunization and continued daily for 3 d. Serum was obtained at d 3 after immunization. (D) Mice were immunized with heat-killed pneumococcus after treatment with three doses of 6-hydroxydomapine (6-OHDA) injected 48 h apart from each other on d −7, −5 and −3 before immunization. Antibody levels were determined at d 3 after immunization. Data representative of two independent experiments with five mice per group. Numbers represent P values, unpaired, two-tailed Student t test. Error bars, s.d.