Abstract
The leucocyte migration inhibition test (LMT) using the agarose plate method introduced by Clausen is simple and highly reproducible.
Using thyroglobulin, mitochondria and thyroid microsomal fractions as antigens, LMT was performed on ten patients with insulin dependent diabetics, twenty patients with insulin independent diabetics, eleven patients with Graves' diseases, ten patients with chronic thyroiditis and ten healthy controls.
The migration index was expressed as a percentage of migration and calculated from the following formula.
Migration index (M I) =average areas of migration in test suspension/average areas of migration in control suspension×100
Using a thyroid microsomal fraction, the mean migration index for the insulin dependent diabetics (93.2±11.6) was significantly lower than in the normal subjects (104.3±10.9) (0.025<p<0.05).
Using thyroglobulin as an antigen for the insulin dependent diabetics and insulin independent diabetics, the mean migration indices (±SD) were 93.7±10.8 and 102.8±10.6 respectively.
The corresponding values for the control group were 100.6±7.3.
Using a mitochondria, MI values for insulin dependent and independent diabetics were 97.7±5.5 and 99.6±12.6 respectively, while MI value for the control group was 103.9±13.6.
The mean migration indices obtained with the mitochondria and thyroglobulin were not significantly depressed when the diabetic groups were compared with the normal subjects.
