Effect of partial XXXX replacement or thymosin on anti-DNA in castrated (NZB X NZW)F1 males.

@entity19 @entity251 @entity3800
Castration of young (3-week-old) but not older (3-month-old) male (NZB X NZW)F1 @entity19 was associated with autoantibody production similar to that of untreated female littermates. The castration-induced disease provided a unique model for the evaluation of therapeutic modalities during the first 9 months of life. Castrated male (NZB X NZW)F1 @entity19 were treated with either long-term thymosin (fraction 5) or @entity251 for different periods of time. Continuous @entity251 replacement abolished the autoimmune disease-accelerating effects of castration at 3 weeks. Brief treatment during either the early or the later periods of life of castrated (NZB X NZW)F1 males was insufficient to prevent accelerated anti-DNA production. Thymosin treatment, when started at the time of castration and continued through life, abolished the rise in anti-DNA. These studies suggest that @entity3800 work throughout the first 7 months of life of the @entity19 to suppress anti-DNA and that lack of @entity3800 for a relatively brief period allows anti-DNA production to be initiated. Once initiated it cannot be completely suppressed. The cellular basis of the fixed aspect of this process is unknown. A possible role of the thymus is suggested by the ability of thymosin to suppress anti-DNA.
