Impaired Function of Peripheral Lymphocytes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

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Abstract
DNA synthesis by peripheral lymphocytes from active non-treated SLE patients and matched normal donors was assessed at various times after stimulation with high and low doses of PHA, PWM and ConA and in non-stimulated control cultures. The time response curve of SLE lymphocytes stimulated with a suboptimal dose of PHA, and with both optimal and suboptimal doses of PWM and ConA was markedly depressed, while their spontaneous DNA synthesis was significantly increased. Preincubation of the cells to remove putative coating antibodies did not revert the response of patients’ lymphocytes to normal values. The antibody-induced cell-mediated lysis of 51Cr-labelled chicken red blood cells was only slightly impaired in a group of 15 unselected SLE patients. The results demonstrate that cellular factors contribute to the depressed in vitro responses in active SLE, suggesting a wide defect of lymphocyte populations in this disease.

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