concanavalin-a and Vascular-Diseases

In order to determine whether or not abnormal suppressor cell function correlates with the absence of a delayed hypersensitivity reaction (DHR) in anergic patients, Con A reactivity and the short-lived suppressor cell activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were studied in 4 groups of patients: (1) Those with peripheral vascular disease (PVD) who reacted with a normal DHR to the intradermal injection of one or more recall antigens; (2) patients with PVD who did not respond with a DHR to any of these antigens; (3) patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis and normal DHR; and (4) cirrhotics who showed no DHR. The data for both short-lived suppressor cell activity and Con A reactivity were not significantly different between anergic patients, patients with normal DHR, and a group of normal controls. Although cirrhotic patients have been reported to show abnormalities in cellular immunity, short-lived suppressor cell activity and Con A reactivity were not significantly different between cirrhotics with normal DHR, PVD patients with normal DHR, and normal controls.

Topics: Concanavalin A; Humans; Hypersensitivity, Delayed; Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocytes; Male; Skin Tests; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Vascular Diseases