Autoimmune disease: A role for new anti-viral therapies?

[lansbergen]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/447410
Effect of levamisole on the auto-antibody formation in nude mice.

Ogita T, Hayakawa T, Horiuchi Y, Mizushima Y.
Abstract

The effects of levamisole on the formation of antibody to double-stranded DNA (ds-DNA), an auto-antibody, and to some thymus-dependent antigens were studied in nude (nu/nu) mice. The antibody titre to ds-DNA in nu/nu mice treated with levamisole was lower than that in control animals. The number of Thy-1-antigen-positive (Thy-1+) cells in the spleen from nu/nu mice treated with levamisole was higher than that from non-treated animals. It is suggested that the Thy-1+ cells were induced by levamisole in nu/nu mice and these cells suppressed the formation of antibody to ds-DNA, whereas the formation of antibody to a DNP-conjugate (OVA) and SRBC, thymus-dependent antigens, was not evoked in nu/nu mice after the treatment with levamisole.

 

[lansbergen]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7913970

Immunomodulation by levamisole in patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers or oral lichen planus.

Sun A, Chiang CP, Chiou PS, Wang JT, Liu BY, Wu YC.
Source

School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, ROC.
Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of levamisole on the immune system of patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) or oral lichen planus (OLP) in an open trial. Lymphocyte subsets, serum immunoglobulins, and circulating immune complexes (CIC) in patients with RAU or OLP and in normal control subjects were determined by an indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) technique with monoclonal anti-lymphocyte antibodies, by single radial immunodiffusion, and by precipitation with 3% polyethylene glycol, respectively. In addition, the anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-basal cell antibodies (anti-BCA) in sera were detected by an IIF technique. We found a significant improvement in clinical symptoms and normalization of the decreased CD4/CD8 ratio in RAU patients after levamisole treatment. Moreover, the decreased CD4/CD8 ratio, which persisted until the remission stage in the untreated RAU patients, reverted to normal in the active late stage in the levamisole-treated patients. This reversion of aberrant cellular immunity in an earlier stage of the ulcer cycle may explain why RAU patients experience symptom improvement after levamisole treatment. Although RAU patients treated with levamisole for 1 to 3 or 4 months still had higher than normal levels of CIC and serum immunoglobulins, the levels of their IgA and IgM returned to normal values after 4 months of levamisole treatment. The serum ANA detected in 6 patients with RAU and 3 patients with erosive OLP disappeared after 1-22 months of levamisole treatment. The disappearance of serum anti-BCA was also observed in 50% of the anti-BCA-positive patients with erosive OLP after 3-13 months of levamisole treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

 

[lansbergen]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/366145

Levamisole and cellular immunity in rheumatoid arthritis--clinical and laboratory correlates.

Levy J.
Abstract

Studies in a number of laboratories have confirmed a deficiency in lymphocyte PHA mitogen response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Improvement in T cell function in these deficient patients had been noted with levamisole treatment. We have also shown clinical improvement associated with reversal of this deficiency during a double-blind controlled study with levamisole. Patients showing good clinical response showed a greater enhancement of T cell function as compared to those patients showing a poor clinical response to levamisole. Clinical responders also showed a significantly greater enhancement with in vitro levamisole added to lymphocyte culture prior to drug treatment than did poor clinical responders. Decreased B cell function, immunoglobulin and autoantibody levels have also been observed with levamisole treatment. These studies may suggest that levamisole is acting by normalizing T cell function with a presumed secondary suppressive effect on B cell autoantibody synthesis.

 

[lansbergen]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7236393

Influence of levamisole treatment in old people.

Rossi ER, Librace E, Barocci S.
Abstract

Eight hospitalized people, over 77 years old, have been treated during one month with Levamisole at the dose of 150 mg a day, once a week. They have been compared to 18 controls matched for age. Levamisole raised the number of E rosettes in aged patients. This effect was found to be significant. However the increase of the percentage of E rosettes was not comparable to the percentage found in young healthy subjects. In three subjects the administration of the drug resulted in a fall of auto-antibodies noted before therapy.

 

[lansbergen]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/71868

Treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus with the T-cell immunopotentiator levamisole: a follow-up report of 16 patients under treatment for a minimum period of four months.

Gordon BL 2nd, Yanagihara R.
Abstract

Treatment of 16 SLE patients with levamisole resulted in significant reduction of a variety of clinical parameters of the disease. Clinical improvement was both subjective and objective. Thus, levamisole may represent a possible alternative or adjunctive approach to SLE therapy. Although proper assessment of its actual quantitative importance in the treatment of Lupus must await large scale studies under double-blind conditions, nevertheless, these preliminary results are very encouraging.