Immunological Aspects of Systemic Sclerosis: In Vitro Activity of Lymphocytes From Patients With the Disorder

Some Immunologic Considerations in Focal Scleroderma and Progressive Systemic Sclerosis in Children

“…Currie e t al. (4) demonstrated that the peripheral blood lymphocytes in adult patients with PSS were cytotoxic t o cultures of human fibroblasts and skin, muscle, and renal cells, whereas those from normal persons were not, which suggested that cellular as well as humoral immunity is altered. In a preceding study (1 5) the authors found evidence of inflammation in the skin or other organs in all cases of systemic or focal scleroderma with inflammatory infiltrates persisting as long as 10 years in one patient.…”

Cutaneous antigen-stimulating lymphokine production by lymphocytes of patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma).

“…Currie, et al (15) demonstrated that patients with PSS had lymphocytes cytotoxic for fetal fibroblasts and epithelial and muscle cells. The difference between these findings and ours may be related to our use of adult tissue and not a cell like the L-cell line of fibroblasts, which are more sensitive to cell-mediated cytotoxicity (34).…”

“…Circulating lymphocytes in patients with PSS have been found to be cytotoxic to cultures of fibroblasts, epithelial, and muscle cells (15). In addition the lymphocytes of patients with PSS release leukocyte migration inhibition factor (MIF) when cultured with autologous lymphocytes or with human liver microsomes or mitochondria (16).…”

Lymphokine stimulation of collagen accumulation.

“…In rats with graft-versus-host disease, Stastny et al (30) have observed sclerodermalike changes in the skin. A recent indication of the participation of abnormal cellular immunity in PSS has been furnished by Currie et al (31), who observed that lymphocytes from PSS patients with myositis produced cytopathic alterations in fibroblast cultures.…”