Immunologic Studies in Pernicious Anemia

Abstract

Abstract Experiments were directed to the investigation of evidence of a possible role of cellular immunity in patients with pernicious anemia. Lymphocyte-rich peripheral leucocyte preparations from 29 patients with pernicious anemia were cultured in the presence of a variety of preparations containing potential antigens: these included human gastric juice, human intrinsic factor (IF) preparations, and human gastric mucosal homogenates. Lymphocyte transformation was determined by measurement of the uptake of tritiated thymidine into DNA. Lymphocyte transformation occurred when lymphocytes from a portion of the patients with pernicious anemia (3.4 per cent to 37.5 per cent) were cultured in the presence of these antigen preparations. Lymphocyte transformation was noted in none of the patients whose sera contained blocking antibodies to intrinsic factor. There was no correlation between the presence or absence of lymphocyte transformation and the presence or absence of serum antibodies to the gastric parietal cell cytoplasmic antigen. These data on lymphocyte transformation permit the consideration that cellular immunity may participate in the pathogenesis of pernicious anemia.