Clin. exp. Immunol. (1990) 82, 63-68
In vitro production of interferon-gamma by peripheral blood from patients with Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and rheumatoid arthritis S. MATSUBAYASHI, F. AKASU, Y. KASUGA, K. SNOW, E. KEYSTONE & R. VOLPE Endocrine Research Laboratory and Rheumatic Disease Unit, the Wellesley Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
(Acceptedfor publication 23 May 1990)
SUMMARY The production of interferon-gamma (IFN-y) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), CD4 cells, or CD8 cells in response to interleukin-2 (IL-2) stimulation has been studied; the samples were obtained from 12 healthy control subjects, 19 patients with Graves' disease (10 hyperthyroid and nine euthyroid), 13 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (four hypothyroid and nine euthyroid), and 15 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (11 active and four inactive). A dose of IL-2 (25 U/ml) was utilized to induce IFN-y by PBMC from all four groups. The incremental increase in IFN-y values (with IL-2 stimulation minus without stimulation) was significantly less in PBMC from patients with Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and rheumatoid arthritis than that in PBMC from control subjects. The values from PBMC in patients with Graves' disease in a euthyroid state were below normal but greater than those from patients with Graves' disease in a hyperthyroid state. The incremental increase in IFN-y values from Graves' disease PBMC correlated with the serum TSH values (r = 0-622, P < 0-01), but not with thyroid autoantibodies (anti-thyroid microsomal antibodies, antithyroid microsomal antibodies, nor TSH-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin activities). The incremental increase in IFN-y from PBMC from both control subjects and Graves' disease was correlated with that from CD4 cells (r = 0711, P
In vitro production of interferon-gamma by peripheral blood from patients with Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and rheumatoid arthritis S. MATSUBAYASHI, F. AKASU, Y. KASUGA, K. SNOW, E. KEYSTONE & R. VOLPE Endocrine Research Laboratory and Rheumatic Disease Unit, the Wellesley Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
(Acceptedfor publication 23 May 1990)
SUMMARY The production of interferon-gamma (IFN-y) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), CD4 cells, or CD8 cells in response to interleukin-2 (IL-2) stimulation has been studied; the samples were obtained from 12 healthy control subjects, 19 patients with Graves' disease (10 hyperthyroid and nine euthyroid), 13 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (four hypothyroid and nine euthyroid), and 15 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (11 active and four inactive). A dose of IL-2 (25 U/ml) was utilized to induce IFN-y by PBMC from all four groups. The incremental increase in IFN-y values (with IL-2 stimulation minus without stimulation) was significantly less in PBMC from patients with Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and rheumatoid arthritis than that in PBMC from control subjects. The values from PBMC in patients with Graves' disease in a euthyroid state were below normal but greater than those from patients with Graves' disease in a hyperthyroid state. The incremental increase in IFN-y values from Graves' disease PBMC correlated with the serum TSH values (r = 0-622, P < 0-01), but not with thyroid autoantibodies (anti-thyroid microsomal antibodies, antithyroid microsomal antibodies, nor TSH-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin activities). The incremental increase in IFN-y from PBMC from both control subjects and Graves' disease was correlated with that from CD4 cells (r = 0711, P
