Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Eur J Neurol. 2011 Nov;18(11):1350-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2011.03424.x. Epub 2011 May 7.
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder that may involve natural killer (NK) cells. Although NK cells are part of the innate immune system, they also influence adaptive immune responses. Double-filtration plasmapheresis (DFP) is an effective therapy for MG crisis. Thus, we examined the effects of DFP on the cytotoxicity of NK cells.
A total of 20 patients with MG and 16 healthy controls were recruited for the study. Ficoll-Paque-isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and K562 cells were used as the effector and target cells, respectively. NK cell cytotoxicity was analyzed using flow cytometry immediately before and after DFP and upon course completion.
Double-filtration plasmapheresis treatment decreased significantly the NK cell cytotoxicity in patients with MG, especially in good responders, those who were positive for acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies, and those receiving immunosuppressants.
The decrease in NK cell cytotoxicity after DFP and the decline of AChR antibody titer were observed in good responders indicating that this could benefit patients with MG.
重症肌无力（MG）是一种自身免疫性疾病，可能涉及自然杀伤（NK）细胞。尽管 NK 细胞是先天免疫系统的一部分，但它们也会影响适应性免疫反应。双重滤过血浆置换（DFP）是治疗 MG 危象的有效方法。因此，我们研究了 DFP 对 NK 细胞细胞毒性的影响。
共招募 20 例 MG 患者和 16 例健康对照者进行研究。Ficoll-Paque 分离的外周血单个核细胞（PBMC）和 K562 细胞分别作为效应细胞和靶细胞。在 DFP 治疗前后和疗程结束时，使用流式细胞术分析 NK 细胞的细胞毒性。
DFP 治疗显著降低了 MG 患者的 NK 细胞细胞毒性，尤其是在良好反应者、乙酰胆碱受体（AChR）抗体阳性者和接受免疫抑制剂治疗者中。
在良好反应者中观察到 DFP 后 NK 细胞细胞毒性下降和 AChR 抗体滴度下降，表明这可能对 MG 患者有益。
