Insulitis in type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in man--macrophages, lymphocytes, and interferon-gamma containing cells.
This study sought to determine, firstly, the relative frequency of lymphocytes and macrophages and, secondly, the percentage of lymphocytes containing interferon-gamma in inflamed islets (insulitis) of patients with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes. Autopsy pancreases of 12 patients who had died of recent-onset type 1 diabetes and one pre-diabetic patient who had died of cardiomyopathy were examined immunohistochemically. In the 87 islets that were studied, the lymphocyte macrophage ratio was 9.7:1 and approximately 40 per cent of the lymphocytes contained interferon-gamma. Interferon-gamma release in the insulitis process may be involved in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes.
Foulis
A K
AK
Department of Pathology, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, U.K.
McGill
M
M
Farquharson
M A
MA
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000473:pathology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000473:pathology*
D007371:Interferon-gamma