The enhancing effect of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) on the immune responses of young and old unseparated spleen cells and purified populations of T-cells, B-cells and macrophages was studied. While 2-ME enhances both the normal responses of young cells and the age-reduced responses of old cells, the sulfhydryl compound has a relatively greater enhancing effect on old spleen cells in the humoral response to sheep red blood cells and the blastogenic response to concanavalin A (Con A). The greater enhancing effect in the humoral response appears to be due to 2-ME overcoming a suppressive effect of old T-cells which develops with increasing age. The greater enhancing effect in Con A stimulation appears to be an effect on the Con A responsive sub-population of T-cells and not on the synergistic effect of the presence of B-cells.
Aging Animals