       Document 0061
 DOCN  M9490061
 TI    Immunomodulation by levamisole in patients with recurrent aphthous
       ulcers or oral lichen planus.
 DT    9411
 AU    Sun A; Chiang CP; Chiou PS; Wang JT; Liu BY; Wu YC; School of Dentistry,
       National Taiwan University, Taipei, ROC.
 SO    J Oral Pathol Med. 1994 Apr;23(4):172-7. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/94322276
 AB    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of levamisole on
       the immune system of patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) or
       oral lichen planus (OLP) in an open trial. Lymphocyte subsets, serum
       immunoglobulins, and circulating immune complexes (CIC) in patients with
       RAU or OLP and in normal control subjects were determined by an indirect
       immunofluorescence (IIF) technique with monoclonal anti-lymphocyte
       antibodies, by single radial immunodiffusion, and by precipitation with
       3% polyethylene glycol, respectively. In addition, the anti-nuclear
       antibodies (ANA) and anti-basal cell antibodies (anti-BCA) in sera were
       detected by an IIF technique. We found a significant improvement in
       clinical symptoms and normalization of the decreased CD4/CD8 ratio in
       RAU patients after levamisole treatment. Moreover, the decreased CD4/CD8
       ratio, which persisted until the remission stage in the untreated RAU
       patients, reverted to normal in the active late stage in the
       levamisole-treated patients. This reversion of aberrant cellular
       immunity in an earlier stage of the ulcer cycle may explain why RAU
       patients experience symptom improvement after levamisole treatment.
       Although RAU patients treated with levamisole for 1 to 3 or 4 months
       still had higher than normal levels of CIC and serum immunoglobulins,
       the levels of their IgA and IgM returned to normal values after 4 months
       of levamisole treatment. The serum ANA detected in 6 patients with RAU
       and 3 patients with erosive OLP disappeared after 1-22 months of
       levamisole treatment. The disappearance of serum anti-BCA was also
       observed in 50% of the anti-BCA-positive patients with erosive OLP after
       3-13 months of levamisole treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
 DE    Adolescence  Adult  Aged  Antibodies, Antinuclear/BLOOD/DRUG EFFECTS
       Antigen-Antibody Complex/BLOOD/DRUG EFFECTS  Case-Control Studies  Child
       CD4-CD8 Ratio/DRUG EFFECTS  Female  Human  IgA/BLOOD/DRUG EFFECTS
       IgG/BLOOD/DRUG EFFECTS  IgM/BLOOD/DRUG EFFECTS  Immunoglobulins/*DRUG
       EFFECTS  Levamisole/*THERAPEUTIC USE  Lichen Planus, Oral/DRUG
       THERAPY/*IMMUNOLOGY  Male  Middle Age  Stomatitis, Aphthous/DRUG
       THERAPY/*IMMUNOLOGY  T-Lymphocyte Subsets/*DRUG EFFECTS  T-Lymphocytes,
       Cytotoxic/DRUG EFFECTS  T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer/DRUG EFFECTS  T4
       Lymphocytes/DRUG EFFECTS  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

