Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Clinical Investigation logoLink to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
. 1990 Feb;85(2):462–467. doi: 10.1172/JCI114460

Adrenergic control of circulating lymphocyte subpopulations. Effects of congestive heart failure, dynamic exercise, and terbutaline treatment.

A S Maisel 1, K U Knowlton 1, P Fowler 1, A Rearden 1, M G Ziegler 1, H J Motulsky 1, P A Insel 1, M C Michel 1
PMCID: PMC296446  PMID: 2153706

Abstract

The current studies were undertaken to explore the relationship between enhanced sympathetic nervous activity and lymphocyte subset distribution in three settings: congestive heart failure, dynamic exercise, and beta-adrenergic agonist treatment. We compared the number and subset distribution of circulating lymphocytes in 36 patients with congestive heart failure and 31 age-matched control subjects. The number of circulating lymphocytes was lower in heart failure than in control. This was due to a reduction in Tsuppressor/cytotoxic and natural killer cells without significant alteration of Thelper cells. The extent of the alteration was similar in patients with idiopathic and ischemic heart failure, but the reduction was more pronounced in patients with New York Heart Association class III-IV than in class I-II. The plasma catecholamine elevation in heart failure was also independent of etiology but more pronounced in the more severely ill patients. We also assessed lymphocyte subsets after acute stimulation of sympathetic activity by dynamic exercise and after treatment with the beta-adrenergic agonist terbutaline. Dynamic exercise until exhaustion increased the number of circulating lymphocytes in healthy controls and heart failure patients in a subset-selective manner. By contrast, a 7-d treatment with terbutaline caused a reduction in the circulating number of lymphocytes in some subsets that was identical to that seen in heart failure patients. We conclude that prolonged sympathetic activity reduces the number of circulating lymphocytes by a beta-adrenergic mechanism. Such alterations might be involved in the pathophysiology of heart failure and other disease states involving increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system.

Full text

PDF
462

Selected References

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

  1. Ahlborg B., Ahlborg G. Exercise leukocytosis with and without beta-adrenergic blockade. Acta Med Scand. 1970 Apr;187(4):241–246. doi: 10.1111/j.0954-6820.1970.tb02938.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anderson J. L., Carlquist J. F., Hammond E. H. Deficient natural killer cell activity in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Lancet. 1982 Nov 20;2(8308):1124–1127. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)92786-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bourne H. R., Lichtenstein L. M., Melmon K. L., Henney C. S., Weinstein Y., Shearer G. M. Modulation of inflammation and immunity by cyclic AMP. Science. 1974 Apr 5;184(4132):19–28. doi: 10.1126/science.184.4132.19. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brodde O. E., Engel G., Hoyer D., Bock K. D., Weber F. The beta-adrenergic receptor in human lymphocytes: subclassification by the use of a new radio-ligand, (+/-)-125 Iodocyanopindolol. Life Sci. 1981 Nov 23;29(21):2189–2198. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(81)90490-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cohn J. N., Rector T. S. Prognosis of congestive heart failure and predictors of mortality. Am J Cardiol. 1988 Jul 11;62(2):25A–30A. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9149(88)80081-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Crary B., Hauser S. L., Borysenko M., Kutz I., Hoban C., Ault K. A., Weiner H. L., Benson H. Epinephrine-induced changes in the distribution of lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood of humans. J Immunol. 1983 Sep;131(3):1178–1181. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Daul A. E., Wang X. L., Michel M. C., Brodde O. E. Arterial hypotension in chronic hemodialyzed patients. Kidney Int. 1987 Nov;32(5):728–735. doi: 10.1038/ki.1987.267. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. DeBlasi A., Maisel A. S., Feldman R. D., Ziegler M. G., Fratelli M., DiLallo M., Smith D. A., Lai C. Y., Motulsky H. J. In vivo regulation of beta-adrenergic receptors on human mononuclear leukocytes: assessment of receptor number, location, and function after posture change, exercise, and isoproterenol infusion. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1986 Oct;63(4):847–853. doi: 10.1210/jcem-63-4-847. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Eckstein R., Mempel W., Bolte H. D. Reduced suppressor cell activity in congestive cardiomyopathy and in myocarditis. Circulation. 1982 Jun;65(6):1224–1229. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.65.6.1224. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Feldman R. D., Hunninghake G. W., McArdle W. L. Beta-adrenergic-receptor-mediated suppression of interleukin 2 receptors in human lymphocytes. J Immunol. 1987 Nov 15;139(10):3355–3359. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Felten D. L., Felten S. Y., Bellinger D. L., Carlson S. L., Ackerman K. D., Madden K. S., Olschowki J. A., Livnat S. Noradrenergic sympathetic neural interactions with the immune system: structure and function. Immunol Rev. 1987 Dec;100:225–260. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1987.tb00534.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kammer G. M. The adenylate cyclase-cAMP-protein kinase A pathway and regulation of the immune response. Immunol Today. 1988 Jul-Aug;9(7-8):222–229. doi: 10.1016/0167-5699(88)91220-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Keller S. E., Weiss J. M., Schleifer S. J., Miller N. E., Stein M. Stress-induced suppression of immunity in adrenalectomized rats. Science. 1983 Sep 23;221(4617):1301–1304. doi: 10.1126/science.6612346. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Keller S. E., Weiss J. M., Schleifer S. J., Miller N. E., Stein M. Suppression of immunity by stress: effect of a graded series of stressors on lymphocyte stimulation in the rat. Science. 1981 Sep 18;213(4514):1397–1400. doi: 10.1126/science.6973822. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Landmann R. M., Müller F. B., Perini C., Wesp M., Erne P., Bühler F. R. Changes of immunoregulatory cells induced by psychological and physical stress: relationship to plasma catecholamines. Clin Exp Immunol. 1984 Oct;58(1):127–135. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lands A. M., Arnold A., McAuliff J. P., Luduena F. P., Brown T. G., Jr Differentiation of receptor systems activated by sympathomimetic amines. Nature. 1967 May 6;214(5088):597–598. doi: 10.1038/214597a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Laudenslager M. L., Ryan S. M., Drugan R. C., Hyson R. L., Maier S. F. Coping and immunosuppression: inescapable but not escapable shock suppresses lymphocyte proliferation. Science. 1983 Aug 5;221(4610):568–570. doi: 10.1126/science.6603018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Maisel A. S., Fowler P., Rearden A., Motulsky H. J., Michel M. C. A new method for isolation of human lymphocyte subsets reveals differential regulation of beta-adrenergic receptors by terbutaline treatment. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1989 Oct;46(4):429–439. doi: 10.1038/clpt.1989.161. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Maisel A. S., Motulsky H. J. Receptor redistribution does not accompany terbutaline-induced down regulation of beta-adrenergic receptors on human mononuclear leukocytes. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1987 Jul;42(1):100–106. doi: 10.1038/clpt.1987.115. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Monjan A. A., Collector M. I. Stress-induced modulation of the immune response. Science. 1977 Apr 15;196(4287):307–308. doi: 10.1126/science.557841. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Packer M. Neurohormonal interactions and adaptations in congestive heart failure. Circulation. 1988 Apr;77(4):721–730. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.77.4.721. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Phillips J. H., Lanier L. L. Lectin-dependent and anti-CD3 induced cytotoxicity are preferentially mediated by peripheral blood cytotoxic T lymphocytes expressing Leu-7 antigen. J Immunol. 1986 Mar 1;136(5):1579–1585. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Snavely M. D., Motulsky H. J., O'Connor D. T., Ziegler M. G., Insel P. A. Adrenergic receptors in human and experimental pheochromocytoma. Clin Exp Hypertens A. 1982;4(4-5):829–848. doi: 10.3109/10641968209061616. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Weber M. A., Drayer J. I. The sympathetic nervous system in primary hypertension. Miner Electrolyte Metab. 1982 Feb;7(2):57–66. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Investigation are provided here courtesy of American Society for Clinical Investigation

RESOURCES