title: Alterations in peripheral blood mononuclear cell cytokine production in response to phytohemagglutinin in multiple sclerosis patients.
abstract: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system (CNS). The disease is characterized by inflammatory lesions in the white matter of the CNS, consisting of a specific immune response to the myelin sheath. We investigated peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cytokine production by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays of 21 MS patients and 19 age-matched normal controls in response to the T-cell mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured in medium alone or in medium with 5 micrograms of PHA per ml for 48 h, and culture supernatants were collected for analysis. Cytokines selected for study were interleukin-10 (IL-10), gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), IL-2, and IL-4. All cytokine activities described were expressed as concentrations per 500,000 cells. We found that 48% (10 of 21) of the MS patients produced small but detectable levels of IL-10 in medium alone, compared with 26% (5 of 18) of the controls. We found that the MS patients produced significantly higher quantities of IL-10 protein than the controls in response to PHA (mean supernatant concentrations of IL-10 for patients and controls, 421 and 204 pg/ml, respectively [P < 0.05]). No significant differences were detected in the production of IL-2, IFN-gamma, and IL-4 between patients and controls in response to PHA, although patients appeared to display a trend toward decreased production of IFN-gamma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa 33612, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Crucian
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dunne
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ragsdale
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pross
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Widen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000494:pharmacology; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007376:Interleukin-2; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D016753:Interleukin-10; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma