Effect of corticosteroids on serum antinuclear antibodies in man

The effect of prednisone on serum levels of IgG antibodies to viral and bacterial antigens was measured and compared to its effect on IgG antibodies to nuclear antigens in 8 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Prednisone at 15-80 mg/day (mean 55 mg/day) for 14-30 days (mean 19 days) lowered the serum IgG by an average of 22% (p less than 0.005). An even greater reduction in IgG antinuclear antibodies occurred (mean 43%, p less than 0.001) including responses to double stranded DNA, single stranded DNA, and the nucleosides, adenosine, guanosine, cytidine and thymine riboside. In contrast, there was no alteration in serum IgG antibody levels to influenza virus vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine antigens. These results suggest that prednisone has a selective effect on the expression of autoimmunity which may, in part, be responsible for its clinical efficacy in systemic lupus erythematosus.