[Phenformin elimination of the immunodepression caused by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine in rats]

Treatment of rats with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (SDMH) with the doze of 21 mg/kg per body weight once a week during four weeks caused the decrease of biogenic amine level, particularly, of dopamine in the hypothalamus, the decrease of glucose tolerance, the increase of the blood level of insulin and triglycerides. According to the previously achieved data SDMH causes the elevation of the hypothalamic threshold of sensitivity to the inhibitory action of estrogens. At the same time SDMH provides considerable suppression of lymphocyte blastogenic response to phytohemagglutinin and lipopolisaccharide, the decrease of the level of antibody produced against sheep erythrocytes, and the decrease of phagocytic activity of macrophages. Thus SDMH provides the syndrome of intensified aging. Recently our laboratory achieved the data, that antidiabetic drug-phenformin-improves cell-mediated immunity indices and the activity of phagocytosis in middle-aged subjects, as well as in patients with atherosclerosis and cancer (Vopr. Oncol., 1976, N 2, p. 13). On the basis of these findings phenformin (2 mg/day per os) was administered in rats in combination with SDMH. This resulted in restoration of all the abovementioned immunologic indices. It may be suggested that SDMH causes metabolic immunodepression, similar to the immunodepression, inherent to normal aging, pregnancy, stress and specific age-associated pathology--diseases of compensation (Vopr. Oncol., 1976, N 8, p. 3). If immunodepression is one of the components of cancerogenesis, then the elimination of metabolic immunodepression, which arises in course of normal aging or under the influence of cehmical cancerogens, can provide an anticancerogenic prophylactic effect.