Am J Psychiatry 1989; 146:609-616
Copyright © 1989 by American Psychiatric Association
Aberrant T cell-mediated immunity in untreated schizophrenic patients: deficient interleukin-2 production
F Villemain, L Chatenoud, A Galinowski, F Homo-Delarche, D Ginestet, H Loo, E Zarifian and JF Bach
INSERM U25, Hopital Necker, Paris, France.
The authors examined the immune status at the cellular and humoral levels
of 16 untreated schizophrenic patients. No abnormality in the distribution
of T cell subsets (CD4+, CD8+) was detected. The proliferative response to
the T cell mitogen phytohemagglutinin was normal. No increase in the number
of T cells showing activation markers, such as human leukocyte antigens and
interleukin-2 receptors, was noted. Conversely, function studies revealed a
clear deficiency in interleukin-2 production by purified T cells. This
lower production was probably intrinsic to the patients' T cells, since
interleukin-2 production showed normal sensitivity to prostaglandin
E2-mediated down- regulation by autologous monocytes.
