title: Inhibition  of lymphocyte proliferation by sera from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: lack of correlation with serum alpha-fetoprotein levels.
abstract: Sera from 23 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients were studied for their effects on lymphocyte proliferation during polyclonal mitogen stimulation and one-way mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC). The effect of 25% HCC serum on tritiated thymidine uptake of cultures varied from slight augmentation to 95% inhibition; however, no relationship was found between the potency of inhibition and serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) concentration. Purified AFP from the ascitic fluid of an HCC patient had no effect on MLC or cultures containing pokeweed mitogen; but at a concentration of 200 micro g/ml, AFP inhibited up to 30% of the proliferative responses in cultures containing phytohemagglutinin or concanavalin A. Results strongly suggest that the AFP in HCC sera is not inhibitory in itself.
mesh_terms: D001769:Blood; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008113:Liver Neoplasms; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D008934:Mitogens; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins