Myoinositol may be a factor in uremic immune deficiency.

In 10 chronic uremic patients on regular hemodialysis treatment and 10 healthy subjects in vitro PHA-induced peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMNC) and T-cell enriched lymphocyte proliferative responses were found to be impaired in the presence of myoinositol in the concentration generally observed in the blood serum of chronic uremic patients on regular hemodialysis treatment (600 mumol/l), while it remained unchanged in the presence of myoinositol in the concentration observed in normal blood serum (30 mumol/l). However, both myoinositol concentrations did not affect PMA-induced PBMNC and T-cell enriched lymphocyte proliferative responses, which suggests that inhibitory effect of the high myoinositol concentration on PHA-induced immune cell proliferation is cell membrane-related. In addition, myoinositol (600 mumol/l) significantly depressed CD3, CD4 and HLA-DR antigen expression on PHA-activated PBMNC surface in chronic uremic patients and healthy subjects, while CD8 antigen expression remained unaffected. The results seem to indicate that myoinositol, in the concentrations observed in uremic blood serum, may possibly share the responsibility for uremic immune deficiency.