Selective T cell defects induced by dopamine administration in mice

Dopamine administration in BALB/c mice depressed the overall delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to sheep red blood cells, the mixed-lymphocyte culture responses, the generation of cytotoxic T cells, and the number of spleen T cell populations. Conversely, dopamine enhanced concanavalin A stimulation of spleen cells, and had no effect on stimulation by PHA, on total spleen and thymus cell number, and on distribution of thymus Ly-t1+ or Ly-t2+ cell subsets. These results indicate that dopamine produces selective T cell defects probably mediated by a direct peripheral action of the drug on subsets of T lymphocytes.