title: Effects of rat interleukin-2 and rat interferon on the natural killer cell activity of rat spleen cells after thermal injury.
abstract: The natural killer cell activity of splenocytes from rats with scald injury was observed to be significantly suppressed at 7 days after injury compared with that of normal nonburned controls. Incubation of splenocytes from normal rats or rats with burn injury with either rat interleukin-2 or rat interferon (IFN-alpha and IFN-beta) significantly increased the natural killer cell activity. Addition of a rabbit anti-rat interferon antibody to spleen cells incubated with interleukin-2 did not produce any significant alteration in interleukin-2-related enhancement of natural killer cell activity. These results suggest that enhancement of natural killer cell activity after incubation of splenocytes with interleukin-2 is not due to interferon production but is an independent event. Preincubation of spleen cells with a mouse monoclonal antibody to rat interleukin-2 receptor was observed to abolish the interleukin-2-related enhancement of natural killer cell activity completely, whereas it partially blocked the interferon-related enhancement. These results were also confirmed by enhancement of natural killer cell activity of burned rats after in vivo administration of interleukin-2. Our studies thus indicate that after thermal injury, the observed decrease of natural killer cell activity can be enhanced by both interleukin-2 and interferon independently of each other. The decreased natural killer cell activity may be due to a decrease in interleukin-2 production or availability and not to an interleukin-2 receptor defect. These studies thus point toward a potential therapeutic significance of interleukin-2 in enhancing immune function after thermal injury.
authors: Division of Immunology, Shriners Burns Institute, Galveston, TX 77550-2788.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Singh
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Abdullah
authors: D N
authors: DN
authors: Herndon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000276:immunology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000276:immunology; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000276:immunology*; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000276:immunology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D007376:Interleukin-2; D016899:Interferon-beta