Immunosuppressive activity of tilmicosin on the immune responses in mice

Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2011 Jun;33(2):323-8. doi: 10.3109/08923973.2010.508497. Epub 2010 Aug 18.

Abstract

Tilmicosin, a semi-synthetic macrolide antibiotic that is only used in the veterinary clinic, was evaluated for its immunosuppressive activity on the immune responses to ovalbumin (OVA) in mice. Tilmicosin suppressed concanavalin A (Con A)- and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated splenocyte proliferation in vitro. BALB/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with OVA on day 1 and 4. Beginning on the day of boosting immunization, the mice were administered intraperitoneally with tilmicosin at a single dose of 10, 30, and 90 mg/kg for 10 consecutive days. On day 14, blood samples were collected for measuring specific total-immunoglobulin G (total-IgG), IgG1, IgG2b, and splenocytes were harvested for determining lymphocyte proliferation and interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), IL-4 production. The results demonstrated that tilmicosin could significantly suppress Con A-induced splenocyte proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, decrease LPS-and OVA-induced splenocyte proliferation only at high concentration, produced less IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-γ as compared to the control in the OVA-immunized mice. Moreover, the OVA-specific IgG, IgG1, and IgG2b levels in the OVA-immunized mice were reduced by tilmicosin. These results suggest that tilmicosin could suppress the cellular and humoral immune response in mice.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cytokines / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Immunity, Cellular / drug effects*
  • Immunity, Cellular / immunology*
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / pharmacology*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Ovalbumin / immunology
  • Ovalbumin / toxicity
  • Spleen / cytology
  • Spleen / drug effects*
  • Spleen / immunology*
  • Tylosin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Tylosin / pharmacology

Substances

  • Cytokines
  • Immunosuppressive Agents
  • Ovalbumin
  • tilmicosin
  • Tylosin