STUDY ON THE SUPPRESSOR PHENOMENON INDUCED IN CONTACT HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTION

ABSTRACT From the present experiments in which sensitization was induced by painting contactants on the same skin of the same mouse over time, the following findings were observed. When mice were sensitized first with PCl, then with DNFB, and finally with OX, the animals showed a normal contact hypersensitivity response to PCl, but abnormal responses to both DNFB and OX, suggesting some suppressor phenomenon. This suppression was shown to be partly due to hapten (DNFB)‐specific suppressor cells, and it was suggested that other suppressor cells different from suppressor T cells in nature might be involved. It was considered that induction of suppressor cells might be due to depressed function of the epidermal Langerhans cell affected by potent sensitizers as well as by unknown mechanisms.