The effects of 2-mercaptoethanol(2-ME) on some in vitro functions of bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were examined. It was shown that 2-ME enhanced, in a dose-dependent manner, the production of antibodies to bovine coronavirus. In this test the optimal concentration of 2-ME was 50 pM. This molarity of 2-ME was also optimal for the pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-induced proliferation of PBMC obtained from the 7 cattle tested. Similarly, the spontaneous proliferation of PBMC from 4 out of these cattle was enhanced. Thus, 2-ME evoked an increase (up to 2.5 times) or a decrease (at most 10 times) of the quota between the PWM-induced and the spontaneous proliferation (stimulation index). In general, the presence of 50pM 2-ME enhanced the in vitro production of interferon by bovine PBMC. O n the contrary, the highest proliferative response of PBMC to stimulation with bovine virus diarrhoea virus was achieved in cultures without 2-ME or in cultures with 0.5 or 5 pM 2-ME.Since the effects of 2-ME varied, for different tests as well as for cattle tested, attention should be paid to the use of 2-ME in cultures of bovine PBMC. 'c
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