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AZATHIOPRINE AS SINGLE DRUG IN THE TREATMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS INDUCES COMPLETE SUPPRESION OF NATURAL KILLER CELL ACTIVITY
Author(s) -
PEDERSEN BENTE K.,
BEYER JANNIE M.,
RASMUSSEN ANNIE,
KLARLUND KIM,
HØRSLEVPETERSEN KIM,
PEDERSEN BENT N.,
HELIN PEKKA
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
acta pathologica microbiologica scandinavica series c: immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0108-0202
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1984.tb00078.x
Subject(s) - azathioprine , penicillamine , rheumatoid arthritis , medicine , natural killer cell , immunology , arthritis , gastroenterology , pharmacology , cytotoxicity , biology , in vitro , biochemistry , disease
Natural killer (NK) activity against K 562 target cells was studied in 60 patients with definite or classic rheumatoid arthritis (RA), grouped by medication into 1) Controls not in remission‐inducing therapy, 2) Patients treated with penicillamine, and 3) Patients treated with azathioprine. NK activity was found to be completely suppressed in the azathioprine group as compared with the controls (3.2 ± 4.2% versus 35.9 ± 14.8% specific lysis; p <0.01) except for one patient who received incomplete azathioprine treatment. The NK activity was not suppressed in the penicillamine group.