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Alteration in plasma glucose levels in Japanese encephalitis patients
Author(s) -
TANDON APURVA,
SINGH ADITI,
ATRISHI EKTA,
SAXENA S. K.,
MATHUR ASHA
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
international journal of experimental pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.671
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1365-2613
pISSN - 0959-9673
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2613.2002.00213.x
Subject(s) - peripheral blood mononuclear cell , glucagon , endocrinology , cd8 , medicine , virus , hormone , antibody , japanese encephalitis , insulin , biology , encephalitis , immunology , virology , chemistry , antigen , biochemistry , in vitro
Summary A unique factor, human T cell hypoglycaemic factor ( h TCHF), has been shown to produce hypoglycaemia during the convalescent stage in the plasma of patients with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection. The present study was undertaken to investigate the ability of T cells from fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of such patients to produce h TCHF. The PBMC, as well as the individual subpopulations, were cultured for 24 h and the culture supernatants (CS) were assayed for hypoglycaemic activity. The activity was observed in the CD8 + T cells. The hypoglycaemia in JE‐confirmed patients coincided with the gradual rise in circulating glucagon level, with no significant alterations in insulin, growth hormone and cortisol levels. The h TCHF was purified by ion exchange chromatography and the purified protein was observed as a ∼25 kDa band on SDS‐PAGE. Secretory h TCHF in the sera of patients and T cell CS was present in 88% of convalescent serum samples. We conclude that during the convalescent stage of JEV infection, a unique factor, h TCHF, is secreted by activated CD8 + T cells from patients and that this is responsible for the development of hypoglycaemia.