Effect of Pooled Human Intravenous Globulin (IVIG) on the Reversal of Cholinergic Inhibition of Smooth Muscle by Immunoglobulins (IgGs) from Patients with Scleroderma (SSc)

Poster presented at: Digestive Disease Week (DDW) International meeting in San Diego, California. Backgrounds and Aims: The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the most common internal organ system affected in SSc. We and others have shown before that the SSc immunoglobulins (IgGs) cause selective blockade of muscarinic type-3 cholinergic (M3-R) in the GI tract. Presently, there is no effective treatment for SSc although numerous cytotoxic and immunomodulatory agents have been employed with limited success and are marred with serious side effects. Present studies investigated the reversibility of SScIgGs-caused M3-R blockade by the pooled Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG)