title: Second-line drug treatment in rheumatoid arthritis associated with depressed autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction.
abstract: The AMLR (autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction) was performed in 24 control subjects, 41 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 19 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and 7 patients with psoriatic arthritis (PSA). It was found to be depressed in 21 of the RA subjects and this was linked to medication with sodium aurothiomalate or D-penicillamine. Addition of ultrapure interleukin 1 (IL-1), indomethacin, or catalase did not cause any improvement in the AMLR but some improvement was noted in those RA patients with subnormal AMLR when pure, recombinant interleukin 2 (IL-2) was added to the cultures. Since autoreactive T-cells are generated during the AMLR which are capable of providing help for immunoglobulin production, it is proposed that the defective AMLR seen after second-line drug treatment may be the mechanism whereby rheumatoid factor (RF) production is down-regulated during such treatment.
mesh_terms: D001168:Arthritis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006052:Gold Sodium Thiomalate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D010396:Penicillamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D006052:Gold Sodium Thiomalate; D010396:Penicillamine