T helper 2 cells are subject to high dose oral tolerance and are not essential for its induction.

Abstract

Oral administration of aqueous protein Ag results in profound immunologic tolerance, and it has been suggested previously that this reflects selective activation of Th subsets. Here we show that the induction of oral tolerance by feeding a single high dose of OVA to mice significantly reduces the production of both Th1- and Th2-dependent cytokines and is accompanied by a marked reduction of specific Abs of both the IgG2a and IgG1 isotypes in vivo. Oral tolerance was also induced normally in IL-4-deficient mice. These results indicate that both subsets of the Th cell are equally susceptible to the induction of tolerance with a single high dose of Ag delivered via the oral route and that this phenomenon does not require Th2 cells.