IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF APORPHINOID ALKALOID OXOGLAUCINE

The ability of aporphinoid alkaloid oxoglaucine to influence T- and B- cell immune response was studied in mice models. The substance inhibit ed in vitro mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation and suppressed an tibody response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vivo effectively. The action depended on the relative timing of antigen and oxoglaucine administration. The substance manifested s timulatory effect in popliteal lymph node (PLN) reaction and LPS-induc ed B-cell activation. In the chronic inflammatory model of adjuvant ar thritis oxoglaucine exhibited stimulatory or suppressive action relate d to the kinetics of the process. At low doses (1 or 2 mg kg(-1)) oxog laucine improved the outcome of Klebsiella pneumoniae infection, while at higher doses (10 or 20 mg kg(-1)) the substance caused an impairme nt of host resistance to infectious agent. The comparison with cycloph osphamide in some tests showed that oxoglaucine was effective in manif old lower doses. In conclusion, oxoglaucine exerted immunomodulatory e ffects in vivo in a dose-dependent and protocol-dependent manner. Yet, its overall action might be attributed to the different sensitivity o f the cells involved in the developing immune response. (C) 1997 The I talian Pharmacological Society.