Response of lymphocytes to nonspecific mitogens (PHA, Con A, PWM) in patients with glomerulonephritis.

Tests on blastic transformation of peripheral blood lymphocytes after stimulation with nonspecific mitogens (PHA, Con A, PWM) were performed on 55 patients suffering from glomerulonephritis and 32 persons belonging to the control group. On the basis of results obtained, the patients with glomerulonephritis were divided into three groups. The first, comprised patients with acute proliferative glomerulonephritis in whom the values of blastic transformation after stimulation by three mitogens used did not differ from the control group. The second, comprised patients with chronic proliferative, membraneous-proliferative, and membraneous glomerulonephritis. In 1/3 of them, a decrease blastic response to one of three mitogens was observed which was most often connected with stimulation by Con A. The third group comprised patients in the active phase of submicroscopic glomerulonephritis and lupus nephritis showing the lowest values of blastic transformation. The estimation of mitogen-induced blastic transformation was repeated in 17 patients after several weeks of nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drug therapy. After the treatment, values of spontaneous blastic transformation decreased statistically significantly. The mean values of mitogen-stimulated blastic transformation were also lower after the treatment, but the difference was not statistically significant.