Changes in the lymphocyte response and in the production of IgE regulatory factors in relation to the course of immunotherapy.

In previous studies we described isotype-specific but antigen non-restricted soluble factors produced by human lymphocytes.

In subsequent studies we demonstrated changes in the production of these factors during the course of immunotherapy (IT) by testing them on lymphocytes from normal healthy controls and allergic patients. Through these studies we confirmed that there exists a difference in lymphocytes' responsiveness to soluble factors between both groups. In this report, we investigated the effect of soluble factors on lymphocytes from allergic patients without IT (LyG1) and with IT longer than 2 years (LyG4). Peripheral blood samples were collected from healthy controls and allergic patients at different time periods of IT, and bidirectional mixed cultures were performed with the isolated lymphocytes.

Supernatants obtained from chromatography were tested on lymphocytes of allergic patients without IT and with IT greater than 2 years to determine their effect on IgE synthesis. Long periods of IT reduce the production of Suppressor Factors (SF) by allergic patients as well as their responsiveness.

Long periods of IT increase the responsiveness of lymphocytes of allergic patients to Enhancing Factors (EF) and decrease EF production. We propose a "receptor hypothesis" to explain these events.

CITA DEL ARTÍCULO  Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 1990 May-Jun;18(3):127-33