The descrease of the in vitro proliferative response of zinc-treated stressed mice's thymic lymphocytes

Prolonged stimulation of newborn mice by intraperitoneal injections with inactivated staphylococci induces a chronic neonatal inflammatory reaction and an associated oxidative-stress response. The chronically stimulated animals exhibit anorexy. show a reduction in their body weight and undergo a depression in both antibody synthesis andin vitro proliferativc response of Con A-stimulated splenic T-lymphocytes. These stressed animals also develop adrenal hyperplasia, hypozincamia and thymic hypoplasia. Despite this stress-mediated thymic involution, Con-A stimulated T-lymphocytes from thymus displayed increased theirin vitro proliferative response. Results of the present work show that intramuscular injections of zinc acetate in stressed mice, one single dose (5 microg) every other day for two weeks, reduce both the zinc concentration in the thymus gland and thein vitro proliferative response of their Con A-stimulated T-lymphocytes. The results suggest that prophylactic administration of zinc can have benefical consequences on the immunity of chronically stressed mice.