Open AccessIncreased spontaneous secretion of IL‐6 from B cells of patients with B chronic lymphatic leukaemia (B‐CLL) and autoimmunity
Author(s) -
LAHAT N.,
AGHAI E.,
MAROUN B.,
KINARTY A.,
QUITT M.,
FROOM P.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
clinical & experimental immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1365-2249
pISSN - 0009-9104
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1991.tb05723.x
Subject(s) - immunology , autoimmune disease , autoimmunity , b cell , pathogenesis , medicine , secretion , interleukin 10 , cytokine , antibody
SUMMARY We studied B cells from 18 patients with B‐CLL, six of them with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, for spontaneous secretion of IL‐6. Our aim was to determine whether the increased incidence of autoimmune disease found in B‐CLL patients is associated with enhanced spontaneous IL‐6 secretion. IL‐6 was measured by the effect of B cell supernatants on the proliferation of an IL‐6 dependent plasmacytoma cell line T1165. The highest IL‐6 values (7.4±1.8 U/ml) were measured in supernatants derived on day 3 of culture from lymphocytes of the six patients with B‐CLL and concomitant autoimmune disease. The maximal IL‐6 values for 10 patients with B‐CLL only were 2.8±0.3 U/ml and for 10 age‐matched controls, 0.8±0.3 U/ml ( P < 0.01, each group compared with the other). We conclude that there is an association between B‐CLL, autoimmune disease and the spontaneous in vitro secretion of IL‐6. Further studies are needed to determine whether the IL‐6 secretion plays a role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease in patients with B‐CLL.