Abstract
A comparative study of interferon (IFN) production (types α and γ) was carried out using leukocytes from blood, spleen, and peritoneal cavity of sousliks (ground squirrels) active in summer, hibernating in winter, awakened from hibernation in winter, and hibernating in summer. Newcastle disease virus, Radom velogenic strain (NDV-R), and lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli (LPS) were used as inducers for IFN-α and phytohemagglutinin M (PHA) and concanavalin A (ConA) for IFN-γ production. There were significant differences between the titers of IFN-α and IFN-γ produced by leukocytes from sousliks hibernating in winter and in summer in comparison with titers of IFNs produced by cells of sousliks active in summer. Cells of hibernating spotted sousliks exhibited diminished IFN production. The IFN production in blood and peritoneal leukocytes of sousliks awakened from winter hibernation was also lower than that observed in cultures of leukocytes of sousliks active in summer, and higher when spleen leukocytes of sousliks awakened from hibernation were examined.
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