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Glucocorticoids Enhance the in Vitro Ig Synthesis of Pokeweed Mitogen‐Stimulated Human B Cells by Inhibiting the Suppressive Effect of T8 + T Cells
Author(s) -
PAAVONEN T.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1985.tb01404.x
Subject(s) - pokeweed mitogen , concanavalin a , phytohaemagglutinin , in vitro , lymphocyte , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , mixed lymphocyte reaction , t cell , immunology , immune system , biochemistry
The in vitro effects of three potent glucocorticoids (GC) (dexamethasone, prednisolone, cortisone) on human lymphocyte functions were investigated. In pharmacological concentrations GC strongly suppressed lymphocyte transformation induced hy T‐eell mitogen (concanavalin A and phytohaemagglutinin). After pokeweed mitogen (PWM) stimulation GC enhanced the number of immunoglobulin (Ig)‐producing cells without affecting the proliferative response. Mineralocorlieoid aldosterone showed no effect. Addition of 3 ± 10 ‐8 ‐3 ± 10 ‐6 mol/1 of different GC to PWM cultures significantly increased the number of Ig‐secreting cells, measured by the plaque‐forming cell assay. Experiments conducted with fractionated defined lymphocyte subpopulations showed that the T8 + , a radiosensitive T suppressor cell, is more sensitive than the T4 + T helper cell to GC effects. It is concluded that GC in pharmacological concentrations display a dual effect on human lymphocyte functions in vitro: an inhibition of lectin‐induced T lymphocyte proliferation and a rather selective inhibition of T suppressor cell function which leads to an enhanced B‐cell maturation and Ig synthesis in PWM‐stimulated cultures. No measurable direct effect on the B lymphocytes was noticed.