Myasthenia gravis immune response

Examples of some conditions which are known,or are believed to be, to be autoimmune responses include myasthenia gravis (destruction of acetylcholine receptors), rheumatic fever (a streptococcal infection challenges the immune system and then the immune system mistakes heart tissue for another strep infection), Addison s disease (destruction of the adrenal glands), arthritis (an infection of unknown origin starts the immune response but somehow IgG becomes changed, enough so as to start another IgM response - this time to the body s own IgG), pernicious anemia (inability to process vitamin B12)- insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM or type I diabetes), multiple sclerosis, aspermatogenesis, and photosensitivity. 

Autoimmune responses seem to be the underlying basis for a number of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, myasthenia gravis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, polymyositis/der-matomyositis, and several other disorders.25,27,44 As indicated previously, it is not exactly clear what factors cause autoimmune responses, as well as why certain individuals are more prone to autoimmune-related diseases. Nonetheless, drugs that suppress the immune system can limit damage to various other tissues, and these drugs may produce dramatic improvements in patients with diseases that are caused by an autoimmune response. 

Clinical Use. Azathioprine (Imuran) is a cytotoxic agent that is structurally and functionally similar to certain anticancer drugs, such as mercaptopurine.22,30 Azathioprine is primarily used to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs, especially in patients with kidney transplants. Azathioprine may also be used to suppress immune responses in a wide range of other conditions, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, inflammatory myopathy, hepatic disease, myasthenia gravis, and ulcerative colitis. As presented in Chapter 16, azathioprine is also used as an antiarthritic disease-modifying agent. 

Some diseases, including dermatosclerosis, dermatomyositis, systemic lupus ery-thematosis, psoriasis, and myasthenia gravis, etc. may be the result of a disorder of immune responses. The Ganoderma lucidum spore extract showed inhibiting effects on DHT, decreased the primary antibody response in mice and also, in a dose related manner, suppression of murine splenocytes or human tonsil mononuclear cell proliferation in vitro. It inhibited a mixed lymphocyte reaction and decreased the IL-2 level. These results indicate that the inhibitory actions on both the cellular and humoral immunity might explain the use of this drug for the treatment of autoimmune disorders [52]. 

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