Abstract
We studied the changes in serum level of α1-acid glycoprotein (α1AG) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematodes (SLE), and Behçet's disease and its roles in immune system employing lymphocytes from normal peripheral blood. The level of α1AG in serum from RA, SLE, and Behçet's disease was increased significantly when compared to normal control (RA: P<0.001; SLE, Behçet's disease: P<0.05) . The degree of α1AG value was very correspondent to the intensity of inflammatory parameters in RA, but not in SLE. In the method of plaque forming assay, IgM and IgG production by lymphocytes stimulated by pokeweed mitogen was suppressed, and also, blastogenesis of lymphocytes stimulated by phytohemagglutinine and concanavalin A was suppressed in physiological concentration (80 mg/dl) of α1AG. This suppressive effects by α1AG had no relation to interleukin-2 production from lymphocytes.
These results suggested that α1AG might play an important role in immunoregulatory system pathophysiologically for the early inflammatory process in the development of collagen diseases.
