Relative immunosuppressive potency of therapeutic corticosteroids measured by whole blood lymphocyte proliferation.

The in vitro immunosuppressive potency of several therapeutic corticosteroids was investigated using a whole-blood lymphocyte proliferation assay. The selected steroids included beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP), betamethasone (BET), budesonide (BUD), dexamethasone (DEX), flunisolide (FLU), fluticasone propionate (FTP), hydrocortisone (HC), methylprednisolone (MPL), prednisolone (PNL), and triamcinolone acetonide (TAA). The ability of phytohemagglutinin to stimulate lymphocytes in whole blood samples obtained from six drug-free male volunteers was tested against drug concentrations ranging from approximately 0.