Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology
. 1994 Nov;1(6):689–695. doi: 10.1128/cdli.1.6.689-695.1994

Silicone-specific blood lymphocyte response in women with silicone breast implants.

E A Ojo-Amaize 1, V Conte 1, H C Lin 1, R F Brucker 1, M S Agopian 1, J B Peter 1
PMCID: PMC368392  PMID: 8556522

Abstract

A blinded cross-sectional study was carried out with 99 women, 44 of whom had silicone breast implants. Group I consisted of 55 healthy volunteer women without breast implants; group II comprised 13 volunteer women with breast implants or explants who felt healthy; group III comprised 21 volunteer women with breast implants who had chronic fatigue, musculoskeletal symptoms, and skin disorders; and group IV comprised 10 women who had their prostheses explanted but still presented with clinical symptoms similar to those of the women in group III. Proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from all 99 women were measured by [3H]thymidine uptake after exposure to SiO2 silicon, or silicone gel. The levels of proliferative responses were expressed as stimulation indices, which were obtained by dividing the counts per minute of stimulated cells by the counts per minute of unstimulated cells. Abnormal responses to SiO2, silicon, or silicone gel were defined as a stimulation index of > 2.8, > 2.1, or > 2.4, respectively. Abnormal responses were observed in 0% of group I, 15% of group II, 29% of group III, and 30% of group IV (P < 0.0005 for group I versus groups II and IV). Thirty-one percent of symptomatic women with silicone gel breast implants had elevated serum silicon levels ( > 0.18 mg/liter); however, there was no significant correlation between abnormal cellular responses and silicon levels in blood serum, type of implant, time since first implantation, prosthesis explantation, number of implants, or report of implant leakage or rupture.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Full text

PDF
689

Selected References

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

  1. Ballantyne D. L., Jr, Rees T. D., Seidman I. Silicone fluid: response to massive subcutaneous injections of dimethylpolysiloxane fluid in animals. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1965 Sep;36(3):330–338. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bargon J., Kronenberger H., Bergmann L., Buhl R., Meier-Sydow J., Mitrou P. Lymphocyte transformation test in a group of foundry workers exposed to beryllium and non-exposed controls. Eur J Respir Dis Suppl. 1986;146:211–215. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Breedveld F. C., Trentham D. E. Progress in the understanding of inducible models of chronic arthritis. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 1987 Dec;13(3):531–544. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Claman H. N., Robertson A. D. Antinuclear antibodies and breast implants. West J Med. 1994 Mar;160(3):225–228. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Clarke S. M. A novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of beryllium antibodies. J Immunol Methods. 1991 Mar 1;137(1):65–72. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(91)90394-u. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Digby J. M. Malignant lymphoma with intranodal silicone rubber particles following metacarpophalangeal joint replacements. Hand. 1982 Oct;14(3):326–328. doi: 10.1016/s0072-968x(82)80069-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Endo L. P., Edwards N. L., Longley S., Corman L. C., Panush R. S. Silicone and rheumatic diseases. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 1987 Nov;17(2):112–118. doi: 10.1016/0049-0172(87)90033-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gitelman H. J., Alderman F. R., Perry S. J. Silicon accumulation in dialysis patients. Am J Kidney Dis. 1992 Feb;19(2):140–143. doi: 10.1016/s0272-6386(12)70122-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gordon M., Bullough P. G. Synovial and osseous inflammation in failed silicone-rubber prostheses. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1982 Apr;64(4):574–580. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kapsenberg M. L., Wierenga E. A., Stiekema F. E., Tiggelman A. M., Bos J. D. Th1 lymphokine production profiles of nickel-specific CD4+T-lymphocyte clones from nickel contact allergic and non-allergic individuals. J Invest Dermatol. 1992 Jan;98(1):59–63. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12494841. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kreiss K., Miller F., Newman L. S., Ojo-Amaize E. A., Rossman M. D., Saltini C. Chronic beryllium disease--from the workplace to cellular immunology, molecular immunogenetics, and back. Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1994 May;71(2):123–129. doi: 10.1006/clin.1994.1061. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Mogensen C. E. The glomerular permeability determined by dextran clearance using Sephadex gel filtration. Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 1968;21(1):77–82. doi: 10.3109/00365516809076979. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Nakamura A., Kawasaki Y., Takada K., Aida Y., Kurokama Y., Kojima S., Shintani H., Matsui M., Nohmi T., Matsuoka A. Difference in tumor incidence and other tissue responses to polyetherurethanes and polydimethylsiloxane in long-term subcutaneous implantation into rats. J Biomed Mater Res. 1992 May;26(5):631–650. doi: 10.1002/jbm.820260506. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ojo-Amaize E. A., Agopian M. S., Peter J. B. Novel in vitro method for identification of individuals at risk for beryllium hypersensitivity. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol. 1994 Mar;1(2):164–171. doi: 10.1128/cdli.1.2.164-171.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Press R. I., Peebles C. L., Kumagai Y., Ochs R. L., Tan E. M. Antinuclear autoantibodies in women with silicone breast implants. Lancet. 1992 Nov 28;340(8831):1304–1307. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(92)92491-w. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Roberts N. B., Williams P. Silicon measurement in serum and urine by direct current plasma emission spectrometry. Clin Chem. 1990 Aug;36(8 Pt 1):1460–1465. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rogers L. A., Longtine J. A., Garnick M. B., Pinkus G. S. Silicone lymphadenopathy in a long distance runner: complication of a silastic prosthesis. Hum Pathol. 1988 Oct;19(10):1237–1239. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(88)80158-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Romagnoli P., Spinas G. A., Sinigaglia F. Gold-specific T cells in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with gold. J Clin Invest. 1992 Jan;89(1):254–258. doi: 10.1172/JCI115569. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Rossman M. D., Kern J. A., Elias J. A., Cullen M. R., Epstein P. E., Preuss O. P., Markham T. N., Daniele R. P. Proliferative response of bronchoalveolar lymphocytes to beryllium. A test for chronic beryllium disease. Ann Intern Med. 1988 May;108(5):687–693. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-108-5-687. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Saltini C., Winestock K., Kirby M., Pinkston P., Crystal R. G. Maintenance of alveolitis in patients with chronic beryllium disease by beryllium-specific helper T cells. N Engl J Med. 1989 Apr 27;320(17):1103–1109. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198904273201702. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Sergott T. J., Limoli J. P., Baldwin C. M., Jr, Laub D. R. Human adjuvant disease, possible autoimmune disease after silicone implantation: a review of the literature, case studies, and speculation for the future. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1986 Jul;78(1):104–114. doi: 10.1097/00006534-198607000-00018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Shons A. R., Schubert W. Silicone breast implants and immune disease. Ann Plast Surg. 1992 May;28(5):491–501. doi: 10.1097/00000637-199205000-00017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Spiera H. Scleroderma after silicone augmentation mammoplasty. JAMA. 1988 Jul 8;260(2):236–238. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Stokes R. F., Rossman M. D. Blood cell proliferation response to beryllium: analysis by receiver-operating characteristics. J Occup Med. 1991 Jan;33(1):23–28. doi: 10.1097/00043764-199101000-00009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Varga J., Schumacher H. R., Jimenez S. A. Systemic sclerosis after augmentation mammoplasty with silicone implants. Ann Intern Med. 1989 Sep 1;111(5):377–383. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-111-5-377. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Williams W. J., Williams W. R. Value of beryllium lymphocyte transformation tests in chronic beryllium disease and in potentially exposed workers. Thorax. 1983 Jan;38(1):41–44. doi: 10.1136/thx.38.1.41. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Winchurch R. A. Activation of thymocyte responses to interleukin-1 by zinc. Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1988 May;47(2):174–180. doi: 10.1016/0090-1229(88)90070-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Yoshida S. H., Chang C. C., Teuber S. S., Gershwin M. E. Silicon and silicone: theoretical and clinical implications of breast implants. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 1993 Feb;17(1):3–18. doi: 10.1006/rtph.1993.1002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES