Authors: R J Coughlan M B Richter G S Panayi
Publish Date: 2014/02/22
Volume: 3, Issue: 1, Pages: 25-32
Abstract
Gold salts in vitro modulate lymphocyte proliferation to mitogens and antigens and macrophage phagocytosis These effects are not confined to gold salts Dpenicillamine and chloroquine as well as some of the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs NSAIDs have in vivo immunoregulatory effects Peripheral blood mononuclear cells during treatment with Myocrisin gold sodium thiomalate GSTM show changes that differ from in vitro effects and are related to therapeutic response rather than GSTM administration This discrepancy beteen in vitro and ex vivo responses prompted us to measure cellular functions during auranofin therapy Twentynine patients with rheumatoid arthritis took part in a placebocontrolled trial of auranofin We examined the spontaneous immunoglobulin IgG and IgM and IgM rheumatoid factor IgM RF production by cultured mononuclear cells lymphocyte transformation to concanavalin A and macrophage phagocytosis of Candida albicans There was a significant fall in IgG synthesis p 0005 and IgM RF synthesis p 0005 over the first 4 months of treatment whereas in the control group there were no significant changes There was no significant change in IgM production In the auranofintreated group the lymphocyte response to concanavalin A fell progressively during 6 months of therapy at 2 months p 005 at 4 months p 001 and at 6 monthes p 0005 Auranofin therapy had variable effects on monocyte phagocytosis of C albicans Therefore in contrast to GSTM auranofin suppressed both in vitro and ex vivo lymphocyte functions This effect is probably related to the direct effect of auranofin on lymphocyte membranes
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