PMID: 11926614Apr 3, 2002Paper

Positive responses to imipramine in the popliteal lymph node assay are due to primary irritation

Human & Experimental Toxicology
G Choquet-KastvlevskyJ Descot

Abstract

The popliteal lymph node (PLN) assay has long been proposed as a tool to detect immunotoxicants with the potential to induce systemic autoimmunity. A major problem hampering the further validation of this assay is the need to rule out irritants that cause false-positive PLN responses. The anti-depressant, imipramine, has not been reported to induce systemic autoimmune reactions in treated patients, but has been repeatedly found positive in the PLN assay, suggesting that this is a false-positive response. To test this hypothesis, the effects of imipramine were compared to those of 50% ethanol in C57B1/6 mice. Footpad edema was evidenced in the few days after injection of both ethanol and imipramine. T-cell depletion using monoclonal antibodies against either CD4+ or CD8+ T-lymphocytes prior to the PLN assay did not influence the responses to either ethanol or imipramine. Cytokine (TNFalpha, IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-2R, IL-6, IL-12 and IFN-gamma) fingerprinting of the PLNs after injection of ethanol and imipramine evidenced the same pattern of responses. These results indicate a closely similar pattern of responses following the footpad injection of either imipramine or ethanol. The conclusion can be drawn that imipramine induces ...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Dec 13, 2006·Methods : a Companion to Methods in Enzymology·Martinus LøvikPer Ivar Gaarder
Jun 30, 2005·Journal of Applied Toxicology : JAT·Guillaume Ravel, Jacques Descotes

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