Influence of age on the induction of oral tolerance in mice and its adoptive transfer by spleen cells

ABSTRACT

Seven-week old B6D2F1 mice were highly susceptible to the induction of oral tolerance to ovalbumin (Ova), whereas 70-week old mice were totally refractory. Immune responsiveness (secondary antibody formation) to intraperitoneal immunization to Ova was the same in 7-week or 70-week old B6D2F1 mice. In B6D2F1 mice, the adoptive transfer of spleen cells from old donors into young recipients hindered, and, reciprocally, transfer of spleen cells from young donors into old recipients facilitated the induction of oral tolerance. In BALB/c mice, which are refractory to oral tolerance to Ova, the adoptive transfer of spleen cellsfrom neonate or young donors into old recipients failed to modify the lack of susceptibility to the induction of oral tolerance