[Immunologic reactivity of the body and the adrenal cortex function in the early period after administration of a carcinogen].

The level of immunological reactivity and the functional state of the adrenal cortex were studied simultaneously in BALB/c mice 7 days after a single injection of various doses of methylcholanthrene. There existed a definite correlation between the immunodepression induced by various doses of methylcholanthrene determined according to the amount of plaque-forming cells in the experimental mouse spleen and free and combined 11-corticosteroids content in the blood plasma after 7 days of the carcinogen injection. This evidence suggests that the adrenal cortex hormones play a definite role in the pathogenesis of immunodepression induced by chemical carcinogenesis.