POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF PSYCHOACTIVE-DRUGS ON PRIMARY IMMUNE-RESPONSES TO SRBC IN MICE

The impact on primary hemagglutinin titres in response to a challenge with a suspension of sheep red blood cells of treating male and female mice with naloxone or chlordiazepoxide was assessed. Naloxone increas ed total antibody titres in females but reduced it in males. This mu a ntagonist increased mercaptoethanol-resistant hemagglutinin titres in both males and females, with males showing the greater increase. Chlor diazepoxide reduced both total and mercaptoethanol-resistant antibody titre in both males and females, males showed a more marked suppressio n. Interestingly, naloxone is anxiogenic and chlordiazepoxide anxiolyt ic. The data suggest that treatment with psychoactive drugs is likely to influence disease resistance in organisms, data reminiscent of repe ated claims that psychological factors influence immunoresponsiveness.