Suppression of immunoglobulin production of lymphocytes by intravenous immunoglobulin.

The proliferative responses and the immunoglobulin production of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to pokeweed mitogen were dose-dependently suppressed by sulfonated intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), polyethylene glycol-treated IVIG, pH 4-treated IVIG, or human gamma-globulin, but they were not or only slightly suppressed by human serum albumin or pepsin-treated IVIG. Moreover, the suppression of immunoglobulin production by sulfonated IVIG, polyethylene glycol-treated IVIG, or pH 4-treated IVIG was seen in the cases in which B cells preincubated with IVIGs were cocultured with T cells and monocytes preincubated with or without IVIGs and in the cases in which monocytes preincubated with IVIGs were cocultured with T cells and B cells preincubated with or without IVIGs. However, in the cases in which only T cells were preincubated with IVIGs, immunoglobulin production was not suppressed. The suppression of the monocyte function by IVIGs tended to be less than the suppression of the B-cell function by IVIGs. Moreover, the suppression by IVIGs was blocked by anti-human IgG Fc. Our results suggest that IVIGs suppress the immunoglobulin production of lymphocytes through suppression of the B-cell function and the antigen presenting-cell function by attachment of IVIGs to Fc receptors of B-cell membranes and antigen presenting-cell membranes.