Immunolocalization of the boar seminal immunosuppressive fraction infused via uterus on the lymphocytes populating mouse genital tract tissues.

Intrauterine deposition of the immunosuppressive fraction from boar seminal vesicle fluid (ISF) led to a suppression of antibody response to soluble and corpuscular antigens in mice. By means of an immunofluorescent method using specific monoclonal antibody, ISF was detected on the membranes of white blood cells and splenocytes of mice subjected to intrauterine treatment from the third day to the thirteenth day after its deposition. ISF was also detected on the lymphocytes populating the mucosal tissues of vagina, cervix, oviduct and uterus from day 1 to 13 after its intrauterine administration. The antibody to soluble and corpuscular antigens was inhibited in the mice treated with ISF, but after the cessation of the ISF application, a normal immune response was restored within 40 days. Sandwich immunosorbent assay revealed that intrauterine infusion of ISF decreased significantly the concentration of IgG and IgM in the sera of immunized mice both after the primary and the secondary immunizations. These findings indicate that the intrauterine infusion of semen may influence the immune defense reactions and may be an important factor in the development of viral and bacterial infections of the female reproductive tract.