The effects of florfenicol on lymphocyte subsets and humoral immune response in mice

Florfenicol is a broad-spectrum bacteriostatic antibiotic used in domestic animals. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of florfenicol on the total number of lymphocytes in the thymus, spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes and the percentage and the absolute number of T cell subsets (CD4+CD8+, CD4-CD8-, CD4+, CD8+) in the thymus and T (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+) and B (CD19+) lymphocytes in the peripheral lymphatic organs in non-immunized mice and humoral immune response in sheep red blood cells (SRBC)-immunized mice. Florfenicol was administered orally at a dose of 30 mg/kg six times at 24 h intervals to non-immunized mice and four or seven times at 24 h intervals to SRBC-immunized mice. SRBC was injected 2 hours prior to the first dose of the drug. Florfenicol increased the percentage of CD4CD8- thymocytes and the absolute number of CD4+ and CD8+ thymocytes on day 7. The increased percentage and absolute number of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes in mesenteric lymph nodes and decreased percentage of lymphocytes B were also observed 24 hours from the last administration of florfenicol. Florfenicol administered after SRBC immunization reduced the number of plaque forming cells (PFC) and the production of anti-SRBC antibodies on days 4 and 7 after priming.