Interleukin 2 receptor expression in patients with head and neck squamous carcinoma. Effects of thymosin alpha 1 in vitro.
Altered cellular immunity in patients with advanced head and neck cancer includes impairments in lymphokine production, blastogenesis, in vitro cytotoxicity, and T-cell levels. Recent evidence for the potential importance of in lymphokine interleukin 2 (IL-2) in patients with cancer prompted a study of the kinetics of IL-2 receptor expression on lymphocytes from patients with untreated advanced head and neck cancer and normal subjects and an evaluation of the in vitro effects of the T-cell immune-reconstituting peptide, thymosin alpha 1. Concanavalin A-stimulated IL-2 receptor expression was maximal after 72 hours and was higher in normal subjects than in patients. This was due to lower levels of helper/inducer (CD4) cells expressing IL-2 receptors in the patients compared with the normal subjects. Thymosin alpha 1 further decreased levels of IL-2 receptor-positive (both CD4 and CD8) cells at 48 and at 72 hours. At 96 hours, levels of IL-2 receptor-positive cells and proportions of cells in G2 and M phases of the cell cycle were similar among both groups of subjects. Simultaneous cell kinetic studies indicated that thymosin alpha 1 down regulation of IL-2 receptors was not due to an effect on proliferation and that differences in IL-2 receptor expression at 72 hours among normal subjects and the patients with cancer were more likely related to differences in cell proliferation kinetics.
Wolf
G T
GT
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0312.
Hudson
J
J
Peterson
K A
KA
Poore
J A
JA
McClatchey
K D
KD
D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013947:Thymosin / Q000494:pharmacology
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D003208:Concanavalin A; D013947:Thymosin