From the Dept. of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, I.R. Iran.
Abstract: (3840 Views)
Many findings point to the presence of a close relationship between the
immune, endocrine and neurologic systems. For example the suppressive
effects of β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) on IL-l production, the
potentiative effect of enkephalins on lymphocyte functions and the suppressive
effect of leuteinizing hormone (LH) on natural killer (NK) cell activities have
been clearly established. In this regard we have studied the effects of β-HCG on
neutrophil function in vitro. This study was performed on 28 peripheral blood
neutrophil samples (14 as test and 14 as control), by incubating neutrophil
preparations with bacteria in the presence or absence of the hormone for one
hour at 37°C. The results indicated that with 20 IU/mL of hormone, the total and
intracellular bactericidal activities of neutrophils were• significantly increased
(p<0.05), but the phagocytic activity remained unchanged.