concanavalin-a and Fibromyalgia

Thirty-nine patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) according to American College of Rheumatology criteria were studied for cell-mediated sensitivity to environmental chemicals. Lymphocytes were tested by standard [(3)H]thymidine incorporation in vitro for T cell memory to 11 chemical substances. Concanavalin A (Con A) was used to demonstrate T cell proliferation. Controls were 25 contemporaneous healthy adults and 252 other concurrent standard controls without any aspect of FMS. Significantly higher (P < 0.01) stimulation indexes (SI) were found in FMS for aluminum, lead, and platinum; borderline higher (0.05 > P > 0.02) SI were found for cadmium and silicon. FMS patients showed sporadic responses to the specific substances tested, with no high-frequency result (>50%) and no obvious pattern. Mitogenic responses to Con A indicated some suppression of T cell functionality in FMS. Possible links between mitogenicity and immunogenic T cell proliferation, certain electrochemical specifics of granuloma formation, maintenance of connective tissue, and the fundamental nature of FMS are considered.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Antigens; Case-Control Studies; Concanavalin A; Female; Fibromyalgia; Granuloma; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Lymphocyte Activation; Male; Metals; Middle Aged; Siloxanes; T-Lymphocytes

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) production was studied in T lymphocytes and isolated CD4+ T lymphocytes from 12 patients with primary fibromyalgia syndrome and 10 healthy volunteers. The dose and time kinetics of IL-2 production by concanavalin A-stimulated T cells and CD4+ T cells of fibromyalgia patients differed from findings in controls by 1) a need for a higher concentration of mitogen in order to achieve optimal IL-2 secretion, and 2) a delay in the peak time of optimal IL-2 secretion. Unlike normal IL-2 secretion, which was higher after removal of CD8+ T cells, the pattern and degree of IL-2 secretion by cells from fibromyalgia patients were not changed following removal of CD8+ T cells. Addition of calcium ionophore in assays using suboptimal concanavalin A concentrations did not correct the reduction in IL-2 secretion by fibromyalgia patient T cells, but addition of phorbol myristate acetate induced normal secretion of IL-2. These findings suggest that there is a defect in the IL-2 pathway, which is related to protein kinase C activation and does not involve impairment of Ca2+ elevation, in patients with fibromyalgia.

Topics: Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; Calcimycin; CD4 Antigens; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; CD8 Antigens; Concanavalin A; Fibromyalgia; Humans; Interleukin-2; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocyte Depletion; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate