Cellular Immune Respones in Myasthenia Gravis

J Korean Neurol Assoc > Volume 12(1); 1994 > Article

Journal of the Korean Neurological Association 1994;12(1): 41-50.

중증근무력증에서 세포성 면역반응 (혈청 IL-2, 가용성 IL-2 수용체 ?및 Neopterin 농도를 중심으로)

박성파, 박영춘

계명대학교 신경과.

Cellular Immune Respones in Myasthenia Gravis

Sung Pa Park, M.D., Young Chun Park, M.D.,

Department of Neurology, Keimyung University, School of medicine

Abstract

To investigate the cellular immune response in myasthenia gravis (MG), serum levels of interleukin-2(IL-2), soluble IL-2 receptor(sIL-2R) and neopterin were measured in 48 patients with MG, and these levels were compared with those in 22 healthy controls Also, the relationship of serum levels of IL-2. sIL-2R and neopterin to disease severity and thymic histology, and the changes of above laboratory indexes were observed according to thymectomy. Serum IL-2 was not detected in controls. But was detected in 56% of MG patients. Mean levels of serum sIL-2R were significantly increased in MG patients compared with controls (p<0.01), and mean levels of serum neopterin were increased, but not statistically significant in MG patients compared with controls. Mean levels of serum sIL-2R were significantly increased in the groups of grade IIB and m compared with the groups of grade I and IIA(p<0.01) Among 20 thymectomized MG patients, mean levels of serum sIL-2R were significantly increased in patients with thymoma compared with those with involuted thymus(p<0.05). In the follow-up study of serum levels of IL-2, slL-2R and neopterin after thymectomy, the detection rate of serum IL-2 was significantly decreased in patients more than 1 year after thymectomy compared with those before thymectomy (P<0.05), and mean levels of serum sIL-2R and neopterin were significantly decreased in patients more than 1 year after thymectomy compared with those before thymectomy (P< 0.01, p<0.05). These decrements reflected the clinical improvement. These results suggest that the cellular immune responses with T cell and macrophage activation are relevant to the pathogenesis of MG. Serum sIL-2R level is correlated with disease severity, and serum IL-2, sIL-2R and neoptrin levels may represent markers of disease activity after thymectomy.