Andersson R, Hansson G K, Söderström T, Jonsson R, Bengtsson B A, Nordborg E
Department of Infectious Diseases, Ostra Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.
Clin Exp Immunol. 1988 Jul;73(1):82-7.
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.
巨细胞动脉炎（GCA）是一种血管炎性疾病，其特征是动脉壁中T淋巴细胞和巨噬细胞聚集。为了描述GCA中的免疫反应，我们使用双染色免疫荧光法分析了颞动脉活检组织，并使用荧光激活细胞分选仪（FACS）研究了外周血中的T淋巴细胞。在发炎的颞动脉壁中，28%（范围为16%-42%）的所有T淋巴细胞表达HLA-DR，但外周血T淋巴细胞平均仅6%表达，这表明炎症病变中存在高度的局部T细胞活化。在使用泼尼松龙治疗前，GCA患者血液中的T淋巴细胞、辅助性/诱导性T细胞和抑制性/细胞毒性T细胞的比例与正常个体无差异，但在开始使用类固醇治疗后辅助性T细胞略有增加。使用泼尼松龙治疗6-10天后，表达HLA-DR抗原和IL-2受体的辅助性T细胞数量没有改变。我们没有发现GCA病变中动脉平滑肌细胞表达HLA-DR的证据，这表明这些细胞在GCA中不作为抗原呈递细胞。
