title: Ontogency of the responses of human peripheral blood T cells to glucocorticoids.
abstract: The inhibitory effect of steroids such as dexamethasone on the immune response of adults has been widely documented. Little is known, however, about the effect of these agents on the developing immune system in newborns. The present study describes the ontogeny of the sensitivity of peripheral blood T cells to dexamethasone during the first year of life. Cord blood T cells of preterm or term infants appear to be extremely sensitive to inhibition of the proliferative response. This high sensitivity of cells to dexamethasone can still be observed in the first 2 weeks after birth. Subsequently, the sensitivity to dexamethasone inhibition of T-cell proliferation gradually decreases. At 1 year of age, the adult response pattern has been acquired.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University Children's Hospital Het Wilhelmina Kinderziekenhuis, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kavelaars
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cats
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Zegers
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bakker
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: van Rees
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Heunen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D003907:Dexamethasone