Antibody production in rabbits administered Freund's complete adjuvant and carprofen concurrently.

Abstract

Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) is a commonly used immunopotentiator that can boost polyclonal antibody production in animal models such as rabbits, but FCA is also known to cause inflammation and pain. It is important to balance the welfare of animals with the goal of efficiently producing antibodies, but little is known about how common treatments for pain and inflammation, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), affect the production of polyclonal antibodies. The purpose of this study was to measure polyclonal antibody production in rabbits that were administered FCA either with or without a concurrent treatment of a NSAID, carprofen. Rabbits were divided into two groups and were administered identical treatments of an antigen with adjuvant, and the treatment group also received carprofen injections at different stages of the study. Carprofen treatment did not significantly affect polyclonal antibody production, which suggests that carprofen and other NSAIDs can be used alongside FCA in rabbits to achieve desired levels of antibody production while minimizing pain and distress associated with the use of FCA.