title: Photopheresis treatment enhances CD95 (fas) expression in circulating lymphocytes of patients with systemic sclerosis and induces apoptosis.
abstract: We investigated the effects of photopheresis in systemic sclerosis by analysing its influence on lymphocytes with regard to apoptosis and expression of bcl-2 and fas. Peripheral blood lymphocytes isolated immediately before and 24 h after photopheresis were investigated for apoptosis, bcl-2 and fas expression by fluorocytometry, and compared to controls. In addition, leucocytes from systemic sclerosis patients taken directly from the photopheresis system were tested for apoptosis after 24 h in culture. fas expression was similar in controls and patients with systemic sclerosis just before photopheresis, but increased 24 h after photopheresis, mainly due to an increase of CD4+CD95+ cells. bcl-2 was overexpressed in scleroderma peripheral lymphocytes, but not influenced by photopheresis. As compared to healthy controls, the percentage of apoptotic cells 24 h after photopheresis was high in cultured lymphocytes, but not ex vivo. The significant increase in fas on peripheral lymphocytes observed in this study may be a major operative mechanism of photopheresis in addition to (and possibly related to) the induction of apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aringer
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Graninger
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Smolen
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Kiener
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Trautinger
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Knobler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017893:Photopheresis; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D019014:fas Receptor