Thalidomide Costimulates Primary Human T Lymphocytes, Preferentially Inducing Proliferation, Cytokine Production, and Cytotoxic Responses in the CD8+ Subset
The efficacy of thalidomide (alpha-phthalimido-glutarimide) therapy in leprosy patients with erythema nodosum leprosum is thought to be due to inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha. In other diseases reported to respond to thalidomide, the mechanism of action of the drug is unclear. We show that thalidomide is a potent costimulator of primary human T cells in vitro, synergizing with stimulation via the T cell receptor complex to increase interleukin 2-mediated T cell proliferation and interferon gamma production. The costimulatory effect is greater on the CD8+ than the CD4+ T cell subset. The drug also increases the primary CD8+ cytotoxic T cell response induced by allogeneic dendritic cells in the absence of CD4+ T cells. Therefore, human T cell costimulation can be achieved pharmacologically with thalidomide, and preferentially in the CD8+ T cell subset.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 20. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 03 March 2026.
All research outputs
#2,186,367
of 29,868,835 outputs
Outputs from The Journal of Experimental Medicine
#1,333
of 12,159 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#1,218
of 40,109 outputs
Outputs of similar age from The Journal of Experimental Medicine
#2
of 76 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 29,868,835 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 92nd percentile: it's in the top 10% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 12,159 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 13.9. This one has done well, scoring higher than 88% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 40,109 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 96% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 76 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 97% of its contemporaries.
