Humoral and Cellular Immune Abnormalities in Neonates of Diabetic Mothers: Any Pathological Role?

Summary

Insulin antibodies, insulin complexes, T-cell subsets and T-cells bearing surface antigens indicating early activation were studied in 35 and 24 infants of diabetic and of normal mothers respectively, which were compared with normal adult control subjects. Anti-insulin antibodies were evaluated using a modified version of Andersen's method, insulin complexes were assessed by a method developed by us; total T cells, helper/inducer and cytotoxic/suppressor T lymphocytes, and early activated T lymphocytes were determined using the monoclonal antibodies OKT3, OKT4, OKT8 and 4F2 respectively. The presence of insulin antibodies was correlated to macrosonia, hypoglycaemia and respiratory distress syndrome. Insulin-anti-insulin complexes were found in some of the neonates and were likely to have been formed by maternal antibodies and insulin from the neonate. Modifications of T-cell subsets were found in the neonates both of diabetic and of normal mothers. - Despite the presence of these immune abnormalities in sorne infants of diabetic mothers, the clinical onset o diabetes was not diagnosed in any of the cases studied. Nevertheless, the immunological abnormalities in neonates of diabetic mothers have short-term pathogenetic effects which raises the question of their possible long-term effect.

Key words

Anti-insulin antibodies - Insulin-anti-insulin complexes - T-lymphocytes - Infants of diabetic mothers