title: Prolactin: a possible mediator of graft-versus-host disease following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in humans.
abstract: We have evaluated post-transplant serum levels of prolactin with respect to source of donated bone marrow (BM) and to the occurrence of either acute and/or chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Forty adult patients underwent allogeneic (n = 35), autologous (n = 4) or syngeneic (n = 1) bone marrow transplantation for haematologic malignancy (n = 32) or aplastic anaemia (n = 8), respectively. Serum prolactin levels measured within 100 days post-transplant were related to patients' sex but otherwise proved unrelated to the occurrence or severity of GVHD and to the source of the BM graft (allogeneic, autologous, syngeneic). Beyond day 100 post-graft, however, serum prolactin levels proved significantly elevated in allogeneic recipients exhibiting chronic GVHD (p = 0.0004) and were unrelated to the patients' sex. In this group of patients, serum prolactin levels were not related to serum cyclosporin levels. In allogeneic recipients exhibiting no GVHD, serum prolactin levels were positively correlated with serum cyclosporin levels (p < 0.05). These data show that serum prolactin levels are significantly elevated beyond day 100 post-graft in recipients exhibiting chronic GVHD. Prolactin, a hormone recently shown also to be released by mononuclear leucocytes and to be involved in lymphocyte activation plays a hitherto unrecognized role in the pathogenesis of GVHD in humans.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hinterberger-Fischer
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kier
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spona
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sebesta
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tiefengraber
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Habertheuer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruckser
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kalhs
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lechner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014185:Transplantation, Isogeneic
chemical_list: D016572:Cyclosporine; D011388:Prolactin