Response of Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes from Patients with Diabetes Mellitus to Phytohemagglutinin and Candida Albicans Antigen

Abstract

Cells from the peripheral blood of twenty-three patients with diabetes mellitus were tested to determine their response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and Candida albicans antigen. The response was not significantly different from that of cells from normal subjects.

Depression of Cell-Mediated Immunity in Diabetes

“…Brody and Mertie5 found that lymphocytes of diabetics respond poorly to PHA, whereas MacCuish et al14 reported that transformation of mature lymphocytes to blast cells after PHA stimulation was depressed in poorly controlled diabetics but normal in compensated diabetics. Normal lymphocyte transformation responses also were found in well-controlled diabetics studied by Ragab et al 7 Substantial inhibition of macrophage migration by leukocytes from diabetics has been reported.15'" Migration was most inhibited by cells from young, usually insulindependent diabetics and least inhibited by cells from maturity-onset diabetics. Results in our study suggest that lymphocytes from diabetics do not elaborate a factor inhibiting macrophages although such a conclusion may not be warranted on the basis of these limited studies.…”

Effect of Insulin and Alloxan Diabetes on Carrageenin Inflammation in Rats

“…Adjuvant arthritis, supposedly a delayed type reaction, is alleviated in diabetes [4,13]. Clinical studies have revealed a suppressed cellular immunity in dia betic patients [5,15].…”

Autoimmunity in Endocrine Disease

“…Brody & Merlie (1970) reported marked depression of the transformation response to PHA by lymphocytes from 6 elderly diabetics when compared to normal subjects. In contrast, Ragab et al (1972) found no difference in the PHA responses of 23 diabetics and normal controls.…”