Immunologic status and sensitivity of peripheral blood T cells to neurotransmitters in patients with optic neuritis

Abstract

Optic neuritis (ON) is an optic nerve inflammation that can result in impairment of visual function. Studying expression patterns of immune cell subpopulations and genes is of importance for revealing the role and influence of each of them in the early ongoing ON pathological process. Purpose: To examine the immunologic status and sensitivity of peripheral blood T cells to adrenaline and acetylcholine neurotransmitters in patients with ON and its sequelae. Material and Methods: The study cohort included 45 patients with idiopathic ON who underwent an examination: group 1, 27 patients with primary acute ON; group 2, 9 patients with partial optic atrophy (POA) following ON; and group 3, 9 patients with loss of posterior pole structure following ON. Group 4 (controls) was composed of 27 healthy volunteers. The specific reactivity of lymphocytes to adrenaline and acetylcholine was assessed using our complex methodology (in conjunction with a parallel sampling method) for assessing the individual’s sensitivity to medicaments (biological regulators) which has been developed at Immunology laboratory, Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy. The methodology involves obtaining lymphocytes from an individual, culturing lymphocytes with examined drugs immunohistochemically, and use of a peroxidase antiperoxidase method with monoclonal antibodies.