RESUMO
A non-toxic dose of abrin, (1.25 microg/kg body wt) consecutively for five days in normal mice stimulated specific humoral responses. A noticeable increase was observed in total leucocyte count, lymphocytosis, weights of spleen and thymus, circulating antibody titre, antibody forming cells, bone marrow cellularity and alpha-esterase positive bone marrow cells. The results suggest that abrin can potentiate the humoral immune response of the host.
Assuntos
Abrina/farmacologia , Abrus/química , Adjuvantes Imunológicos/farmacologia , Animais , Formação de Anticorpos/efeitos dos fármacos , Células da Medula Óssea/efeitos dos fármacos , Esterases/metabolismo , Feminino , Imunidade Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Contagem de Leucócitos , Linfocitose/induzido quimicamente , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Tamanho do Órgão/efeitos dos fármacos , Sementes/química , Baço/metabolismo , Células-Tronco/efeitos dos fármacos , Timo/metabolismoRESUMO
Abrin, a galactose specific lectin was purified using sepharose 4B affinity column from seeds of Abrus precatorius. It exhibited antitumour activity in mice when used at a sublethal dose of 7.5 micrograms/kg every alternate day for 10 days. Both intralesional and intraperiloneal (i.p.) administration of abrin was effective in reducing solid tumour mass development induced by Dalton's Lymphoma Ascites (DLA) and Ehrlich's Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) cells. DLA cell line was more sensitive to abrin than EAC. Abrin when injected i.p. increased the life span of ascites tumour bearing mice. Abrin when used simultaneously with tumour cells brought about maximum antitumour effect. On developed tumour masses, abrin administration brought about significant reduction in tumour volume, especially in DLA induced tumours. Prophylactic administration of abrin was found ineffective.