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Low lymphocyte interferon-gamma production and variable proliferative response in anorexia nervosa patients

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Abstract

Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in 14 patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) was significantly lower than in 14 age-matched healthy controls. Follow-up samples in four patients displayed low levels, except in two when they recovered the IFN-γ production as the hormonal cycles were restored. A large interindividual variation for the lymphocyte proliferative response was observed in 30 AN patients. DNA synthesis of PBMC was normal in 8 patients (27%), significantly increased in 6 (20%) (P<0.001), and significantly decreased in 16 (53%) (P<0.001). IFN-γ inhibition was reversed by culturing a control lymphocyte population with monocytes from patients with AN. This was not observed in cultures of control monocytes and AN lymphocytes. IL-2 receptor (TAC subunit) was assessed and no difference was found in the number of TAC-positive cells between patients and controls. These results point out impaired production of the immunomodulator cytokine IFN-γ as a major functional defect of AN peripheral lymphocytes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Sustancias Vasoactivas, Instituto de Investigaciones Medicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Edith Polack, Victor E. Nahmod, Monica Costas, Samuel Finkielman & Eduardo Arzt

  2. Servicio de Endocrinologia, Hospital Durand, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Estela Emeric-Sauval

  3. Servicio de Psiquiatria, Hospital Udaondo, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Mabel Bello

  4. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (Conicet-Argentina), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Monica Costas, Samuel Finkielman & Eduardo Arzt

  5. Departamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Eduardo Arzt

Authors
  1. Edith Polack
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  2. Victor E. Nahmod
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  3. Estela Emeric-Sauval
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  4. Mabel Bello
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  5. Monica Costas
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  6. Samuel Finkielman
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  7. Eduardo Arzt
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Polack, E., Nahmod, V.E., Emeric-Sauval, E. et al. Low lymphocyte interferon-gamma production and variable proliferative response in anorexia nervosa patients. J Clin Immunol 13, 445–451 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00920020

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00920020

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