title: Effect of lithium therapy on inflammatory response.
abstract: Chemiluminescence produced by normal cells was reduced in response to zymosan which was opsonized with serum from patients on prophylactic lithium therapy, compared to control serum from normal subjects (68 +/- 3.1 vs. 93 +/- 3.4 mV/5 X 10(5) cells). Preincubation of normal cells with serum from patients also resulted in reduced chemiluminescence activity when the cells were stimulated with autologous serum-coated zymosan (47 +/- 4.5 vs. 64 +/- 6.3 mV/5 X 10(5) cells). Spontaneous complement conversion was increased in the serum of patients on lithium therapy (46.3 +/- 3.8 vs. 25.3 +/- 2.5% conversion). These studies demonstrated that lithium, at safe therapeutic levels (0.4-0.9 mmol/liter), significantly altered complement conversion and had a marked affect on chemiluminescence activity by normal cells.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000032:analysis; D015932:Complement C3c; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology*; D008094:Lithium / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D009895:Opsonin Proteins; D015054:Zymosan / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D003176:Complement C3; D009895:Opsonin Proteins; D015932:Complement C3c; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D015054:Zymosan; D008094:Lithium