Isolation of Immunosuppressive Serum Components following Thermal Injury

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Abstract
Immunoregulatory factors can often be detected in the serum of patients with thermal and traumatic injuries. A significant number of patients with severe thermal injuries are profoundly immunosuppressed. This immunosuppression was mediated by substances which circulate in the serum which could be easily detected using in vitro lymphocyte assays. The suppressive material was not present in normal serum, and exerted its effects through the activity of a specific (suppressor) subpopulation of lymphocytes. Serum samples obtained from burn patients were analyzed by plasmapheresis for suppressive activity, then fractionated each using Sephadex G-200. Individual fractions were tested for suppressive activity in mixed lymphocyte cultures, and approximate molecular weights established for suppressive peaks by chromatography calibration standards. Evidence linking suppressive activity of the sera to the presence of endotoxin, prostaglandin E, interferon and cutaneous burn toxin is discussed.