title: Restorative effect of total parenteral nutrition on natural killer cell activity in malnourished cancer patients.
abstract: Decreased natural killer cell activity (NKCA) is associated with malnutrition in both cancer and non-cancer patients. We have studied the effect of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) on NKCA in 9 malnourished cancer patients, candidates for surgery. TPN was administered for a median of 10 days (range 7-11), providing 1.5-fold the estimated resting energy expenditure, with 30% as fat. Calorie:nitrogen ratio was 150:1. Basal human recombinant interferon-alpha 2a (rIFN-alpha 2a) and human recombinant IL-2 rIL-2) activated NKCA were measured, as were the main nutritional parameters, prior to and after TPN. NKCA increased in all patients and reached the normal range in 5, 3 and 4 subjects, respectively, for basal, rIFN-alpha 2a and rIL-2 activated NKCA. As regards nutritional assessment, body weight and IgM levels significantly increased from 47.7 to 50.1 kg and from 174 to 237 mg/dl, respectively. This study demonstrates that a 10-day TPN course increases and sometimes restores normal NKCA. Such effect was constant and preceded nutritional changes.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Division of Surgery of Digestive Tract, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bozzetti
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cozzaglio
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Villa
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferrario
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trabattoni
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000276:immunology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D010289:Parenteral Nutrition, Total; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins