IL-6 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine which has many well-defined effects. Its synthesis and release from mononuclear cells of drug-sensitized patients was related before to in vitro drug-allergy diagnostics but has not yet been studied in detail.

OBJECTIVE To compare the activity of calcineurin in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 32 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 35 healthy controls. METHODS The activity of calcineurin was assayed in the supernatants of sonicated mononuclear cells. RESULTS There was no significant difference in the calcineurin activity of patients with SLE not taking glucocorticosteroids (GCS) compared with the healthy controls. On the other hand, the activity of calcineurin was reduced in patients with SLE taking GCS, correlating negatively with the dose of GCS. The stimulation of PBMC by phorbol ester and calcium ionophore decreased the calcineurin activity both in patients with SLE and in healthy controls. GCS could also reduce calcineurin activity in the mononuclear cells of healthy subjects in vitro. CONCLUSIONS In patients with SLE the decrease in the calcineurin activity of PBMC depended on the dose of GCS used for treatment, and it was not a disease specific alteration. The higher the dose of GCS, the greater the inhibition of calcineurin activity. The reduction of calcineurin activity is a new element in the immunosuppressive effects of GCS during the treatment of patients with SLE.

Background: Human serum paraoxonase (PON1) protects lipoproteins against oxidation by hydrolyzing lipid peroxides in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL); therefore, it may protect against atherosclerosis. PON1 activity and polymorphisms have been inconsistently associated with carotid artery disease. The goal of this study was to clarify the role of PON1 activity and phenotype on carotid artery disease and its correlation with some inflammatory and immune markers in subjects under 55 years with early-onset carotid atherosclerosis. Methods: Sixty patients with occlusive carotid artery disease and 30 healthy controls were enrolled. Intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured by high-resolution ultrasound of both common carotid arteries. Anti-oxLDL antibody levels were determined by ELISA. Results: In the whole study population we found a negative correlation between PON1 activity and IMT (r = –0.27, p = 0.011), and between salt-stimulated PON1 activity and IMT (r = –0.24, p = 0.02). Both PON1 activity and salt-stimulated PON1 activity negatively correlated with anti-oxLDL levels (r = –0.28, p = 0.008; r = –0.26, p = 0.01). PON1 activity was lower in patients compared to controls; however, the difference was not significant.PON1 phenotype distribution of patients and controls did not differ significantly. Conclusion: The importance of PON1 activity as a predictive risk factor for early-onset occlusive carotid artery disease should be assessed in future studies.