The Production of Immunoreactive α‐and γ‐Interferon by Circulating Mononuclear Cells in Type 1 Diabetes

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Abstract
Using a specific immunoradiometric assay method the in vitro alpha interferon response to polyinosinic:polycytidilic acid (poly‐I:C) and the gamma interferon response to concanavalin A were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 11 healthy matched pairs of Type 1 diabetic patients and normal subjects. The α‐interferon response to poly‐I:C was significantly higher in the diabetic group (median 3.7 (range < 1–25.7) u ml−1) than in the normal group (1.1 (< 1–15.4) u ml−1, p < 0.01). The mean γ‐interferon response to concanavalin A was 64.3 ± 46.9 (± SD) u ml−1 in the diabetic patients and 49.4 ± 18.5 u ml−1 in the normal group (NS). The higher α‐interferon response to poly‐I:C in the diabetic patients was not related to blood glucose concentration, HbA1, age of onset of diabetes, duration of diabetes, or islet cell antibody positivity, and may therefore indicate intrinsic hyper‐responsiveness of circulating mononuclear cells in Type 1 diabetes.