Suppression of pokeweed mitogen-stimulated immunoglobulin production in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after treatment with total lymphoid irradiation

Journal Article · Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1984 · J. Immunol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5071908

Kotzin, B L; Strober, S; Kansas, G S; Terrell, C P; Engleman, E G

Patients with intractable rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were treated with total lymphoid irradiation (TLI, 200 rad). The authors previously reported long-lasting clinical improvement in this group associated with a persistent decrease in circulating Leu-3 (helper subset) T cells and marked impairment of in vitro lymphocyte function. In the present experiments, they studied the mechanisms underlying the decrease in pokeweed mitogen stimulated immunoglobulin (Ig) secretion observed after TLI. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBL) from TLI-treated patients produced 10-fold less Ig (both IgM and IgG) in response to pokeweed mitogen than before radiotherapy. This decrease in Ig production was associated with the presence of suppressor cells in co-culture studies. By using responder cells obtained from normal individuals (allogeneic system), PBL from eight of 12 patients after TLI suppressed Ig synthesis by more than 50%. In contrast, PBL from the same patients before TLI failed to suppress Ig synthesis. PBL with suppressive activity contained suppressor T cells, and the latter cells bore the Leu-2 surface antigen. In 50% of the patients studied suppressor cells were also found in the non-T fraction and were adherent to plastic. Interestingly, the Leu-2/sup +/ cells from TLI-treated patients were no more potent on a cell per cell basis than purified Leu-2/sup +/ cells obtained before TLI. Additional experiments suggested that the suppression mediated by T cells after TLI is related to the increased ratio of Leu-2 to Leu-3 cells observed after radiotherapy.

• Research Organization: Stanford Univ. School of Medicine, CA
• OSTI ID: 5071908
• Journal Information: J. Immunol.; (United States), Vol. 132:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
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BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
IMMUNOSUPPRESSION
RADIOINDUCTION
RADIOTHERAPY
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GLOBULINS
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NUCLEAR MEDICINE
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