Effect of catecholamines on IL-2 production and NK cytotoxicity of rats in vitro
AIM: To explore effects of exogenous and endogenous catecholamines on function of lymphocytes and primary mechanisms mediating the effects. METHODS: Splenocytes of rats were exposed to norepinephrine (NE), α- or β-adrenoceptor antagonists plus NE, or α-methyl-p-tyrosine (α-MT), and then concanavalin A (Con A)-induced interleukin-2 (IL-2) production and natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity were determined by MTT assay and LDH assay, respectively. RESULTS: Optical density (OD) values of NE-treated groups, which reflected IL-2 production, were 0.63, 0.61, and 0.60, respectively for 1 × 10^-10, 1 × 10^-9, and 1 × 10^-8 mol/L NE. They were all significantly reduced in comparison with control value of 0.68 (P
