title: Interleukin-2 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with myasthenia gravis.
abstract: We examined interleukin-2 (IL-2) production by phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMs) from 75 untreated myasthenia gravis (MG) patients and 48 control patients. Patients with MG consisted of those with elevated PBM IL-2 production (>1,250 pg/ml; mean + 2SD of the controls) (n = 29, 39%) and those with normal PBM IL-2 production (<1,250 pg/ml) (n = 46, 61%). Significant characteristics of patients with elevated PBM IL-2 production included elevated serum levels of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies, severe generalized symptoms, thymic hyperplasia, and marked effects of thymectomy (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that elevated PBM IL-2 production can reflect functional abnormalities of T cells in some patients with MG, and that PBM IL-2 production should be considered as a candidate target of therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan. htohgi@iwate-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kimiaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Utsugisawa
authors.forename: Yuriko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagane
authors.forename: Daiji
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Obara
authors.forename: Ryushi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kondoh
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yonezawa
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tohgi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2