title: Splenectomy changes the pattern of cytokine production in beta-thalassemic patients.
abstract: A major cause of morbidity and mortality in beta-thalassemic patients is infections, assumed to be the result of immunological changes. To determine the possible defect, we investigated the cytokine productions by blood cells of beta-thalassemic patients using in-vivo and in-vitro methods. Heparinized blood samples collected aseptically from 22 beta-thalassemic children aged 10-12yrs (half of them were splenectomized). Samples from 10 healthy children served as control group. Part of samples was used for evaluation of plasma IL-2, IL-10 and TGF-beta1. Other part were stimulated with a mixture of LPS and PHA (1 and 10 microg/ml final concentration), for different time period (4, 24, 48 and 72h). Results showed circulating TGF-beta1 of splenectomized patients was significantly higher (p<0.01) than the control group. In-vitro results showed IL-2 production of patients' groups were significantly (p<0.01) lower than corresponding value obtained for the control group. In addition, IL-10 production by splenectomized group were less than other two group (p<0.01), while their TGF-beta1 were higher (p<0.001) at all time points treated. In conclusion, multi-transfusions could be responsible for a change in the subset of circulating lymphocytes that could contribute to a state of partial immune deficiency in beta-thalassemic patients, which is more prominence among the splenectomized patient.
authors.affiliation: Physiology Research center of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Ghollam-Reza
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Moshtaghi-Kashanian
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gholamhoseinian
authors.forename: Afrooz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoseinimoghadam
authors.forename: Saeeid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rajabalian
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D013156:Splenectomy; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins