title: In vivo administration of low-dose human interleukin-2 induces lymphokine-activated killer cells for enhanced cytolysis in vitro.
abstract: We have examined the effect of the intradermal administration of IL-2 on the generation of natural killer (NK) cell and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell activity. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from borderline lepromatous (BL) and lepromatous leprosy (LL) patients and normal volunteers prior to and after IL-2 injection were stimulated in vitro with IL-2 and their cytolytic activities compared against 51Cr labeled target K562 cells, Daudi cells, and monocytes. Before IL-2 administration, PBMC obtained from BL/LL patients and normal volunteers possessed similar levels of NK cell activity indicating that the NK cell activity of the BL/LL patients was intact. LAK cell activity was induced with IL-2 in vitro in both BL/LL patients and in normal volunteers. The level of LAK cell activity in BL/LL patients was, however, suboptimal. A single intradermal dose of 25 micrograms IL-2 had no effect on the phenotype of circulating mononuclear cells in either patients or normal volunteers. However, 6-12 days after IL-2 injection and subsequent restimulation of the PBMC with IL-2 in vitro, cytolytic activity of LAK cells obtained from the BL/LL patients was enhanced while cells from normal volunteers expressed the same high levels of activity as observed before IL-2 injection.
authors.affiliation: Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021.
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Hancock
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molloy
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Ab
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kiessling
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Becx-Bleumink
authors.forename: Z A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Cohn
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2