T cells from patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome produce interferon-gamma in response to stimulation with the ganglioside GM1

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an acquired demyelinating neuropathy, characterized by infiltration of peripheral nerves with macrophages and T cells. There have been reports of antibodies to glycolipids in GBS. We have previously found T cell reactivity to glycolipids in patients with the demyelinating form of GBS. This study was performed to characterize the cytokines produced by these T cells. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with GBS, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, healthy control patients and other neuropathies were incubated with the ganglioside GM1 and transferred to enzyme-linked immunospot plates. The average number per well of spot-forming cells (SEC) in the absence of antigen was counted. The average spontaneous SEC number was subtracted from the average SEC number in the presence of GM1, to produce a corrected SEC. There was significantly increased production of interferon-gamma but not interleukin-5 in response to stimulation with the ganglioside GM1. This could indicate that SFC have a role in pathogenesis of disease. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.