Open AccessAltered lymphocyte reactivity in rheumatoid arthritis
Author(s) -
Arthur Silverman H.,
Johnson John S.,
Vaughan John H.,
McGlamory James C.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
arthritis & rheumatism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1529-0131
pISSN - 0004-3591
DOI - 10.1002/art.1780190301
Subject(s) - pokeweed mitogen , rheumatoid arthritis , immunology , lymphocyte activation , lymphocyte , medicine , peripheral , immunity , cellular immunity , phytohemagglutinins , immune system , endocrinology , biology , t cell , in vitro , concanavalin a , biochemistry
Blastogenic transformation of peripheral lymphocytes with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), conconavalin A (Con A), and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) was studied in 29 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The PHA response was depressed in a subgroup of RA patients with erosive disease. The Con A response was also depressed and paralleled the PHA response. The PWM response was not depressed. These results lend support to the hypothesis of a functional defect of cellular immunity in RA. It was shown that lymphocyte responsiveness to a single mitogen concentration is not an adequate assessment of the overall responsiveness of the lymphocytes tested.