[Study of the total nucleic acid content of lymphoid tissue plasma cells for assessing the immunodepressive action of various antirheumatic agents].

The influence of antirheumatic drugs, acetylsalicylic acid, diacetoxibenzoic acid, imurane and D-penicillamine, on the status of immunocompetent cells in experimental infectious-allergic carditis was studied morphologically in 70 rabbits. The immunosuppressive effect of all 4 drugs was established which was manifested by a decrease in the number of plasma cells in the lymphoid tissue and a decrease in the content of nucleic acids in their cytoplasm. D-penicillamine was the exception as after its use the content of nucleic acids in the cell cytoplasm was found to be increased which was considered to be due to clasmatosis of plasma cells, marginal karyolysis, damage of the nuclear membrane and release of nucleic acids from the nucleus into the cytoplasm. Acetylsalicylic acid and diacetooxybenzoic acid decrease RNA content in the cytoplasm of plasma cells less than imurane and do not cause cell degeneration with contamination of the extracellular environment with products of cells degeneration.