The Effect of HLA and Insulin‐Dependent Diabetes Mellitus on the Secretion Levels of Tumour Necrosis Factors Alpha and Beta and Gamma Interferon

Abstract

Tumour necrosis factors alpha and beta (TNF-alpha and TNF-beta) and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) were measured by ELISA in the supernatants of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) from 98 individuals (60 controls and 38 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM]). The PBMNC were incubated with varying concentrations of PHA (0, 1, 5, and 10 micrograms/ml) for 72 h. In our population study we observed a correlation between the levels of secretion of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma but not TNF-beta. The complete data set was analysed by non-parametric tests, and no associations with HLA phenotypes existed. Reduced levels of TNF-beta, but not TNF-alpha or IFN-gamma, secretion were found in IDDM patients stimulated with 1 and 5 micrograms/ml of PHA (P = 0.001 and 0.02 respectively). None of the lymphokine secretion levels at any PHA concentration correlated with particular HLA phenotypes. Analysis of the natural log-transformed data indicated that only for the TNF-beta levels (at 5 micrograms/ml PHA) could subjects be divided into high and low secretors, which also did not correlate with a particular HLA-B or -DR antigen.