Sequential studies of lymphocytes, neutrophils and serum proteins during prednisone treatment.

Seven patients (6 with connective tissue diseases, 1 with bronchial asthma) have been studied before, during, and after prednisone therapy. Maximum dose was 15 mg daily, which was tapered off to zero within three months. All patients showed striking subjective improvement during therapy. The ESR reflected this improvement but the acute phase proteins did not. The serum concentration of prealbumin rose significantly during the period of most intensive steroid treatment. IgE decreased in the patient with bronchial asthma, but otherwise the immunoglobulins did not change, and positive serological tests remained unchanged. Contact sensitization to haptens was induced without impairment during therapy. Prednisone induced rises in blood lymphocyte and neutrophil concentrations. Lymphocyte transformation, both mitogen- and antigen-induced, was not influenced by therapy, but PPD-induced inhibition of leucocyte migration decreased. Neutrophil phagocytosis was unimparied, but bactericidal capacity, stimulated nitroblue tetrazolium reduction, and neutrophil and plasma lysozyme concentrations were all depressed during treatment with prednisone.

[1]  N. E. Hansen,et al.  Neutrophilic granulocytes in acute bacterial infection. Sequential studies on lysozyme, myeloperoxidase and lactoferrin. , 1976, Clinical and experimental immunology.

[2]  C. Koch.  Acquired defect in the bactericidal function of neutrophil granulocytes during bacterial infections. , 2009, Acta pathologica et microbiologica Scandinavica. Section B: Microbiology and immunology.

[3]  C. Koch.  Studies on the nitroblue-tetrazolium staining induced in human neutrophils by bacterial products. , 2009, Acta pathologica et microbiologica Scandinavica. Section B: Microbiology and immunology.

[4]  B. McConkey,et al.  The effects of some anti-inflammatory drugs on the acute-phase proteins in rheumatoid arthritis. , 1973, The Quarterly journal of medicine.

[5]  R. Rossen,et al.  Effects of corticosteroids on immunity in man. I. Decreased serum IgG concentration caused by 3 or 5 days of high doses of methylprednisolone. , 1973, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[6]  N. E. Hansen,et al.  Lysozyme Activity in Human Neutrophilic Granulocytes , 1973, British Journal of Haematology.

[7]  H. Claman.  Corticosteroids and lymphoid cells. , 1972, The New England journal of medicine.

[8]  Garagusi Vf,et al.  Corticosteroid effect on phagocytosis and NBT reduction by human polymorphonuclear neutrophils. , 1972 .

[9]  B. Weeke,et al.  The variation in twenty-one serum proteins before and after renal transplantation. I. General pattern. , 2009, Acta medica Scandinavica.

[10]  J. E. Clausen.  TUBERCULIN‐INDUCED MIGRATION INHIBITION OF HUMAN PERIPHERAL LEUCOCYTES IN AGAROSE MEDIUM , 1971, Acta allergologica.

[11]  E. Hook,et al.  The effect of an NADH oxidase inhibitor (hydrocortisone) on polymorphonuclear leukocyte bactericidal activity. , 1970, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[12]  D. Miller,et al.  Decreased nitroblue tetrazolium dye reduction in the phagocytes of patients receiving prednisone. , 1970, Pediatrics.

[13]  J. Alexander,et al.  Neutrophil dysfunction and sepsis in burn injury. , 1970, Surgery, gynecology & obstetrics.

[14]  A. Mauer,et al.  Leukokinetic studies. IV. The total blood, circulating and marginal granulocyte pools and the granulocyte turnover rate in normal subjects. , 1961, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[15]  G. Litwack.  Photometric Determination of Lysozyme Activity.∗ † , 1955, Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.