title: In vivo augmentation of natural killer activity by combined treatment with recombinant gamma interferon and interleukin-2.
abstract: The in vivo regulation of natural killer (NK) cell function by recombinant murine gamma interferon (rMuIFN-gamma) and recombinant human interleukin-2 (rHuIL-2) was investigated. Peritoneal exudate-derived natural killer (PE-NK) cells of mice treated with rMuIFN-gamma or rHuIL-2 exhibited significantly enhanced cytolytic activities against YAC-1 target cells. Compared with animals receiving treatment with either rMuIFN-gamma or rHuIL-2 alone, the sequential treatment of mice with both agents resulted in a significantly greater enhancement of PE-NK cell function, especially when rMuIFN-gamma was administered 24 h before treatment with rHuIL-2. The cytolytic activities were significantly diminished after pretreatment of effector cells with anti-Qa-5 antiserum and complement but not with anti-Lyt-3.2 antiserum. These data constitute the first evidence demonstrating the association between IFN-gamma and IL-2 in the regulation of NK cell function in vivo, reinforce the potential benefit of combined treatment with biological response modifiers, and show that the schedule of administration may be a critical requirement for optimal benefits of combined lymphokine treatment in vivo.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005260:Female; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D007371:Interferon-gamma