The effects of hypergravity on the rate of antibody formation in the rat

This experiment was designed to measure the immune response in acutely stressed and chronically centrifuged hyper-G-adapted male rats. Rats were exposed to 2.1 and 3.1 G. Acutely stressed animals were injected with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) on the day of inital exposure to hyper-G, and were chronically centrifuged for 10 to 15 days after immunization. Hyper-G-adapted rats were chronically centrifuged for 28 days prior to antigen injection and for 21 days after injection. Booster injections were given and serum samples taken at intervals from 3 to 9 days after the initial and booster injections. Antigen dose, injected ip, ranged between 1.35 x 10 to the 6th and 1.38 x 10 to the 9th SRBC/100 g. body weight. Pair-fed and ad libitum fed noncentrifuged controls were used. No significant differences in anti-SRBC antibody titers were found between centrifuged and control animals, although there were some changes in WBC counts and a significant increase in adrenal-gland size in acutely stressed animals.