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Author: Katzin WE; Feng LJ; Abbuhl M; Klein MA
Address: Dept. of Pathology, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106,
USA.
Source: Clin Diagn Lab Immunol, March, 1996, 3:2, 156-61
Abstract: The tissue response to silicone gel breast
implants typically includes an inflammatory infiltrate that consists of macrophages, foreign body-type giant cells, and a
variable number of lymphocytes and plasma cells. The phenotype of the lymphocytic component was investigated with three-color
flow cytometry. Lymphocytes were obtained by collecting fluid from the space between the implant and the fibrous capsule or
by washing cells from the fibrous capsule at the time of implant removal with total capsulectomy.
Eighty-nine percent
of the implant-associated lymphocytes were T cells. Twenty-five percent of the CD3+ T cells coexpressed HLA-DR compared with
only 7.9% of matched peripheral blood lymphocytes. Sixty-eight percent of the implant-associated T cells coexpressed CD4 and
CD29, while only 3% of the T cells coexpressed CD4 and CD45RO. The expression of HLA-DR and the predominance of CD29+ CD4+
T cells indicate that there is immune activation with the potential for stimulating antigen- specific antibody production.
The role of silicone gel breast implants in immune activation and its clinical significance require further investigation.
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