[Nicotine effect on cell immunity in rats with adjuvant induced monoarthritis]

The effect of subchronic nicotine consumption on cell immunity in rats with adjuvant-induced monoarthritis and in intact animals was investigated. In intact animals, nicotine intake was associated with increase of absolute T-cell number and T-cell proliferative response to mitrogen stimulation in vitro, the latter being not due to the altered lymphocyte sensitivity to glucocorticoids. Nicotine intake by rats with arthritis resulted in significant expansion of T-helper and cytotoxic cells and decrease of natural killers in blood.