Genetic control of cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity

Antibody enhances lymphocyte proliferation in guinea pigs immunized to express cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity

Lymphocytes from HSA-sensitized guinea pigs expressing cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity (CBH) proliferate in the presence of specific antigen. We report that this proliferative response is enhanced by the addition of anti-HSA antibody, either in the form of whole immune serum or as purified antibody. The enhancement was characterized as a marked shift of the antigen dose-response curve such that significant [3H]thymidine incorporation was observed at antigen concentrations much lower than those eliciting a comparable response in the absence of immune serum. Enhancement was antigen specific and required an intact immunoglobulin molecule. Antibodies capable of enhancing antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation could be isolated from serum by affinity chromatography as early as 7 days after sensitization and were also evident in sera obtained at later intervals. It is unlikely that such antibodies account for the progressive decline of CBH reactivity and they may actually influence its initial expression.

Basophils in human disease

Hypersensitivity reactions containing significant infiltrates of basophils occur in a large proportion of allergic diseases such as contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis, and are quite deleterious. However, the potential usefulness of such responses can be recognized in similar reactions in guinea pigs responding to tissue invasion by complex multicellular parasites in which interactions occur between thymic-derived T lymphocytes, antibodies, and basophils in immune resistance responses. Perhaps inappropriate and deleterious allergic responses to pollens, chemicals, and insects is the price that we must pay for the ability to reject complex parasites.

Inflammatory response linked to oxazolone-indued cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity: effect of different immunomodulator and anti-inflammatory drugs

The potency of cytostatic and anti-inflammatory drugs was tested on the oxazolone-induced cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity (CBH) in mice. The challenge reaction was performed early after sensitization in order to minimize B-cell expression; exudative and cellular infiltration was estimated 6 h, 24 h and 48 h after challenge. The potency of drugs was tested at three different periods of immunization: 2 days before or after sensitization or before challenge. Cytostatics act mainly when cells are being committed, a corticoid acts on inflammation linked to committed cells, NSAIDs show inconstant anti-inflammatory effects on this test. D-Penicillamine and levamisole act in the same depressive profile in normal animals. Thus the CBH model appears to be relevant in studying drug activities on inflammation linked to T-cell expression.

Recruitment of basophils in delayed hypersensitivity reactions

Basophilic leukocytes constitute a significant proportion of the cellular infiltrates in many forms of delayed-in-onset hypersensitivity reactions in human beings, guinea pigs, and other animals. In this paper, I review current information on the role of basophils in the reactions, and present similarities and differences between Jones-Mote and classic delayed hypersensitivities.

Basophil hypersensitivity response in rabbits

A cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity response has been observed in rabbits immunized with bovine serum albumin and challenged intradermally with this antigen 7 days later. The cellular response appears to be similar to cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity reported in guinea pigs and humans. A basophil response was also observed in rabbits immunized with Staphylococcus aureus and challenged with viable staphylococcal cells 7 days later. A method of observing basophil infiltration in rabbits by means of connective tissue spreads obtained from the subcutaneous connective tissue is described. The rabbit should serve as an excellent model for the study of basophil responses as these animals have a significant basophil component with few if any tissue mast cells which may be confused both morphologically and functionally with the basophil.

Cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity

Cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity (CBH) is a distinct form of lymphocyte-mediated hypersensitivity in guinea pigs, separate both from classic delayed hypersensitivity (DH) and from the well-known antibody-mediated reactions. CBH, not DH, is the usual cellular immune response of this species to a wide variety of immunogens (e.g., allografts, certain parasites, and viruses) when these are presented in native form without supplementation with mycobacteria-containing adjuvants, thus attesting to the importance of this response in the guinea pig's overall immune defense mechanism. Basophil-containing, cell-mediated, delayed-onset reactions occur in other species, including man, as well.