Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Clinical Investigation logoLink to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
. 1974 Feb;53(2):565–571. doi: 10.1172/JCI107591

Human lymphocyte subpopulations. Effect of corticosteroids.

D T Yu 1, P J Clements 1, H E Paulus 1, J B Peter 1, J Levy 1, E V Barnett 1
PMCID: PMC301500  PMID: 11344571

Abstract

Normal subjects given 60 mg of prednisone orally at 8:00 a.m. developed a transient lymphopenia at 2:00 p.m. To define the populations of lymphocytes affected the number and type of lymphocytes in the peripheral blood were assayed. "Late" and "early" spontaneous sheep red blood cell rosettes were used as markers for thymus-derived (T) lymphocytes and one of its subpopulations, respectively. Receptors for aggregated gammaglobulin and complement identified bursal-equivalent or bone marrow-derived (B) lymphocytes and one of its subpopulations, respectively. 6 h after administration of 60 mg of prednisone, the blood samples showed a decrease in proportion of T cells from 69.2 +/- 2.1% to 55.9 +/- 2.8% (average +/- SE) and an increase in B-cell proportion from 21.3 +/- 2.0% to 44.8 +/- 4.1%. The changes of "early" rosettes and complement receptor lymphocytes also paralleled these. In all cases the absolute numbers of T cells and of B cells were decreased by prednisone. The density gradient distribution of the lymphocytes did not change after prednisone. These data indicate that both T and B lymphocytes are affected by the prednisone but that the T cell lymphopenia was more pronounced. The lymphopenia might reflect either sequestration in the marrow and/or transient arrest of recirculation.

Full text

PDF
565

Selected References

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

  1. Bentwich Z., Douglas S. D., Siegal F. P., Kunkel H. G. Human lymphocyte-sheep erythrocyte rosette formation: some characteristics of the interaction. Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1973 Jul;1(4):511–522. doi: 10.1016/0090-1229(73)90007-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chai H., Gilbert A. The effect of alternate-day prednisone on the white blood count in children with chronic asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1973 Feb;51(2):65–70. doi: 10.1016/s0091-6749(73)80001-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Claman H. N. Corticosteroids and lymphoid cells. N Engl J Med. 1972 Aug 24;287(8):388–397. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197208242870806. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Claman H. N., Moorhead J. W., Benner W. H. Corticosteroids and lymphoid cells in vitro. I. Hydrocortisone lysis of human, guinea pig, and mouse thymus cells. J Lab Clin Med. 1971 Oct;78(4):499–507. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cohen J. J. Thymus-derived lymphocytes sequestered in the bone marrow of hydrocortisone-treated mice. J Immunol. 1972 Mar;108(3):841–844. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cream J. J. Prednisolone-induced granulocytosis. Br J Haematol. 1968 Sep;15(3):259–267. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1968.tb01537.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dickler H. B., Kunkel H. G. Interaction of aggregated -globulin with B lymphocytes. J Exp Med. 1972 Jul 1;136(1):191–196. doi: 10.1084/jem.136.1.191. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dickler H. B., Siegal F. P., Bentwich Z. H., Kunkel H. G. Lymphocyte binding of aggregated IgG and surface Ig staining in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Clin Exp Immunol. 1973 May;14(1):97–106. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. NELSON D. H., SANDBERG A. A., PALMER J. G., TYLER F. H. Blood levels of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids following the administration of adrenal steroids and their relation to levels of circulating leukocytes. J Clin Invest. 1952 May;31(9):843–849. doi: 10.1172/JCI102671. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Perper R. J., Zee T. W., Mickelson M. M. Purification of lymphocytes and platelets by gradient centrifugation. J Lab Clin Med. 1968 Nov;72(5):842–848. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ross G. D., Rabellino E. M., Polley M. J., Grey H. M. Combined studies of complement receptor and surface immunoglobulin-bearing cells and sheep erythrocyte rosette-forming cells in normal and leukemic human lymphocytes. J Clin Invest. 1973 Feb;52(2):377–385. doi: 10.1172/JCI107194. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Spry C. J. Inhibition of lymphocyte recirculation by stress and corticotropin. Cell Immunol. 1972 May;4(1):86–92. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(72)90007-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Wybran J., Fudenberg H. H. Thymus-derived rosette-forming cells in various human disease states: cancer, lymphoma, bacterial and viral infections, and other diseases. J Clin Invest. 1973 May;52(5):1026–1032. doi: 10.1172/JCI107267. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Yu D. T., Peter B. J., Paulus H. E., Machleder H. I. Lymphocyte populations: separation by discontinuous density gradient centrifugation. J Immunol. 1973 Jun;110(6):1615–1622. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Yu D. T., Peter J. B., Stratton J. A., Paulus H. E., Machleder H. I. Lymphocyte dynamics: change in density profiles and response to phytohemagglutinin of human lymphocytes during prolonged thoracic duct drainage. Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1973 Jul;1(4):456–462. doi: 10.1016/0090-1229(73)90003-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES