Fig. 6

CD40 ligand (CD40L) gene expression is increased in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with Behçet’s disease (BD). a Platelet expression of CD40L (mean fluorescence intensity [MFI]) was determined under basal conditions and after 5 minutes with 0.2 IU/ml thrombin by flow cytometry in healthy control subjects (HCs), patients with inactive Behçet’s disease (iBD), and patients with active Behçet’s disease (aBD). b Higher CD40L relative gene expression in PBMCs from patients with BD than in HCs was demonstrated by qRT-PCR, despite an inability to increase CD40L expression in BD cells after 3 h of stimulation with 10 ng/ml phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). c A higher number of CD4⁺CD40L⁺ T cells from patients with BD than from HCs after 3-h stimulation with 25 ng/ml PMA + 1.5 μM ionomycin, determined by flow cytometry. d and e The number of Mac-1⁺ neutrophils was constitutively increased in patients with BD (d) and monocytes (e), determined by flow cytometry. No difference in CD40 surface expression was observed. f Phosphorylated NF-κB p65 subunit expression in resting neutrophils and monocytes from patients with BD was significantly higher than in HCs. g Plasma from patients with BD exerted a stronger stimulus on phosphorylated NF-κB p65 subunit expression than HC plasma in normal neutrophils and monocytes. Bars represent mean ± SE. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance with the Bonferroni posttest