Defective monocyte function in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Peripheral blood adherent cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were shown to have markedly reduced phagocytic activity as compared to normal adherent cells or those from non-SLE patients receiving corticosteroid therapy. Both resting and phagocytosing monocytes showed decreased hexose monophosphate shunt and glycolytic activity. Mononuclear cells from SLE patients showed grossly impaired proliferative activity after NaIO4 activation. Furthermore, addition of SLE adherent cells to normal adherent cell-depleted lymphocytes decreased [3H]thymidine incorporation of the latter cells following NaIO4 treatment. Addition of normal adherent cells to SLE lymphocytes corrected the previous defect, indicating that an adherent abnormality is responsible for the defect in SLE mononuclear cell proliferation to NaIO4 activation.