title: Interferon beta enhances the natural killer activity of patients with bladder carcinoma.
abstract: We have investigated the effect of interferon beta (INF beta) on the natural killer (NK) cytotoxic activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with superficial and infiltrative transitional-cell carcinoma of the bladder (TCC) against both NK-sensitive and NK-resistant target cells. The normal NK activity found in PBMC from these patients can be significantly enhanced by short-term incubation (18 h) with INF beta (P < 0.05). The depressed NK cytotoxic activity found in PBMC from patients with infiltrative TCC can also be significantly enhanced, but not normalized, by short-term incubation with INF beta (P < 0.05). In kinetic studies we found that the maximal levels of the INF beta-promoted cytotoxic activity against NK-sensitive and against NK-resistant target cells in PBMC from TCC patients were reached after 18 h of culture. Short-term-INF beta-incubated PBMC from patients with TCC of the bladder also showed marked cytotoxic activity against NK-resistant target cells. The effector cells of the INF beta-induced cytotoxic activity in PBMC from patients with TCC were CD16+ CD3- NK cells. This cytotoxic inducer effect of INF beta synergized with that of interleukin-2. In conclusion, INF beta can enhance the NK activity of PMBC from patients with TCC of the bladder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Hospital Universitario Principe de Asturias, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moltó
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carballido
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Manzano
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olivier
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lapeña
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Mon
mesh_terms: D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D016899:Interferon-beta