Induction of E-rosette-promoting factor in human plasma by levamisole: an assessment in a patient with partial DiGeorge syndrome.
A male infant with partial DiGeorge syndrome responded to weekly administration of levamisole (2.5 mg/kg of body weight) with an increase of circulating E-rosette-forming T cells. Thymic hormone activity in plasma appeared to be elevated to a near-normal level of 11.6 ng thymopoietin equivalent/ml after levamisole administration. The in vitro incubation studies indicated that levamisole by itself had no E-rosette-promoting ability, but a dialysable and relatively heat-stable plasma factor induced by levamisole both in the patient and in healthy individuals had E-rosette-promoting activity for the patient's lymphocytes. Such a plasma factor, however, could not be induced in all four thymectomized myasthenic subjects examined, suggesting a thymus-dependent nature of the plasma factor. These results suggest that levamisole might mediate an increased secretion of humoral factor(s) with E-rosette-promoting activity, even from such a rudimentary thymus as in the partial DiGeorge syndrome.
D004062:DiGeorge Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007223:Infant; D007978:Levamisole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D012397:Rosette Formation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D013951:Thymus Hormones / Q000097:blood
D013951:Thymus Hormones; D007978:Levamisole