The imbalance of immunoregulatory system in prelymphomatous state was investigated in three cases of AILD and a case of IBL. Subpopulation of the lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and lymph nodes of these patients were determined by sheep erythrocyte rossette forming assay, immunofluorescence tequnique for surface membrane and cytoplasmic Ig and flow-cytometric analysis using mouse monoclonal antibodies (OKT3, OKT4, OKT8, OKIal). The T-cell activity of peripheral blood on pokeweed-mitogen driven Ig synthesis of B-cell was assayed using in vitro co-culture system.
The B-cells of peripheral blood and lymph nodes in all 4 cases showed increased polyclonality. In two patients with polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia the OKT4+/OKT8+ ratio was elevated to 3.8∼8.3 and the T-cell activity on Ig synthesis of B-cell was enhanced. On the other hand, another two cases without polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia revealed a decrease in the OKT4+/OKT8+ ratio (0.21∼0.42) and suppression of Ig synthesis.
These findings suggest that in these diseases there are at least two pathophysiological states, i.e., enhancement of helper T-cell function with polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, and that of suppressor T-cell function without polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, although polyclonal proliferation of B-cell lineage are observed in both states.
