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. 1988 Jul;73(1):82–87.

HLA-DR expression in the vascular lesion and circulating T lymphocytes of patients with giant cell arteritis.

R Andersson 1, G K Hansson 1, T Söderström 1, R Jonsson 1, B A Bengtsson 1, E Nordborg 1
PMCID: PMC1541465  PMID: 3048814

Abstract

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a vascular inflammatory disease characterized by accumulations of T lymphocytes and macrophages in the arterial wall. In order to characterize the immune response in GCA, we have analysed temporal artery biopsies using a double-staining immunofluorescence method and studied T lymphocytes in peripheral blood with a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). HLA-DR was expressed on 28% (range 16-42%) of all T lymphocytes in the wall of the inflamed temporal artery, but only on average on 6% of peripheral blood T lymphocytes, indicating a high degree of local T cell activation in the inflammatory lesion. The proportions of T lymphocytes, T helper/inducer and T suppressor/cytotoxic cells in the blood of GCA patients before treatment with prednisolone did not deviate from those in normal individuals, but there was a minor increase in T helper cells after initiation of steroid therapy. The number of T helper cells expressing HLA-DR antigen and IL-2 receptor was not altered after 6-10 days of treatment with prednisolone. We found no evidence of HLA-DR expression by arterial smooth muscle cells in the GCA lesions, suggesting that these cells do not serve as antigen-presenting cells in GCA.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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