Open AccessHigh serum levels of soluble CD8 in insulin‐dependent diabetes
Author(s) -
CESARE E.,
PREVITI M.,
INGEMI M. C.,
BAGNATO G. F.,
CUCINOTTA D.
Publication year - 1994
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.1365-2249.1994.tb06524.x
Subject(s) - medicine , diabetes mellitus , cd8 , endocrinology , type 1 diabetes , autoimmune disease , pancreatic islets , insulin , t cell , disease , immunopathology , immunology , antigen , islet , immune system
SUMMARY In type I (insulin‐dependent) diabetes mellitus (IDDM) CDS + T cells represent the majority of lymphocytes which infiltrate the pancreatic islets during β cell destruction. Soluble CDS antigen (sCD8) has been shown to correlate with CD8 cell subset activation. In this study we measured by ELISA sCD8 levels in sera from: 33 newly diagnosed IDDM patients; 29 type 1 diabetics with duration of disease more than 1 year; 37 healthy siblings of IDDM patients; 19 healthy controls. Sera from both groups of IDDM patients and from healthy siblings exhibited soluble CDS mean levels significantly higher than controls ( P =0·0001, P <0·003, P <0·03 respectively). Soluble CD8 levels above the normal range (mean±2 s.d. of controls) were found in a percentage of newly diagnosed subjects (54·5%) significantly higher than in subjects with a long‐standing duration of disease (6·9%, P <0·0005) and healthy siblings (16·2%, P 0·002). Our results suggest that the raised levels of soluble CD8 near lo diabetes onset may indicate the activation of CD8 + T cells probably responsible for the autoimmune β cell destruction.