Isolation immunosuppressive serum components following thermal injury

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Increasing evidence suggests immunoregulatory factors in serum of patients with thermal/traumatic injuries.
• Severe thermal injuries are associated with profound immunosuppression mediated by serum substances.
• These suppressive substances affect in vitro lymphocyte assays.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze serum samples from burn patients for immunosuppressive activity.
• To fractionate serum using Sephadex G-200 and identify suppressive components.
• To investigate potential links between suppressive activity and specific molecules.

Main Methods:

• Serum plasmapheresis from burn patients.
• Fractionation of serum using Sephadex G-200 chromatography.
• Testing fractions for suppressive activity in mixed lymphocyte cultures.
• Molecular weight estimation of suppressive peaks.

Main Results:

• Serum from burn patients exhibited significant suppressive activity on lymphocytes.
• Fractionation identified suppressive peaks with estimated molecular weights.
• The suppressive material was absent in normal serum and acted via a specific lymphocyte subpopulation.

Conclusions:

• Serum from burn patients contains potent immunosuppressive factors.
• These factors contribute to the immunosuppression observed in severe thermal injuries.
• Further investigation is warranted to identify specific suppressive molecules like endotoxin, prostaglandin E, and interferon.