[Afferent determination of transfer factor formation in the rat spinal cord]

The mechanisms causing the appearance of transfer factor (TF) in the cerebrospinal tissue of rats were studied. Intracerebral TF injections to intact recipients were found to change asymmetrically the reflectory muscular responses. TF could be found in the extract of the rat spinal cord in rats with cut off n. tibialis sin. or with alcohol-novocaine blockade of posterior left tibial muscles, i.e., the reaction of the cerebral cells to the break in axon integrity is not responsible for TF formation. The appearance of TF in the cerebrospinal tissue less than two hours after alcohol-novocaine muscular blockade does not suggest that the axon integrity is the cause initiating TF formation. It is assumed that the deafferentation determines TF appearance in the cerebrospinal tissue.