Levamisole and cellular immunity in rheumatoid arthritis--clinical and laboratory correlates.
Studies in a number of laboratories have confirmed a deficiency in lymphocyte PHA mitogen response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Improvement in T cell function in these deficient patients had been noted with levamisole treatment. We have also shown clinical improvement associated with reversal of this deficiency during a double-blind controlled study with levamisole. Patients showing good clinical response showed a greater enhancement of T cell function as compared to those patients showing a poor clinical response to levamisole. Clinical responders also showed a significantly greater enhancement with in vitro levamisole added to lymphocyte culture prior to drug treatment than did poor clinical responders. Decreased B cell function, immunoglobulin and autoantibody levels have also been observed with levamisole treatment. These studies may suggest that levamisole is acting by normalizing T cell function with a presumed secondary suppressive effect on B cell autoantibody synthesis.
D000818:Animals; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D007978:Levamisole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D010919:Placebos; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000032:analysis; D012397:Rosette Formation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D010919:Placebos; D007978:Levamisole; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor