title: Enhancement of primary and secondary responses to sheep red blood cells and influenza virus in BALB/c mice by recombinant human interleukin-2.
abstract: Treatment with recombinant human IL-2 (rIL-2) is being investigated as a new modality for the control of minimal residual disease in conjunction with autologous bone marrow transplantation for a variety of malignant hematological disorders and certain solid tumors. In investigating the functional role of rIL-2 in T cell dependent humoral immune responses, we determined the level of IgG, IgM, and total antibodies activity in BALB/c mice, with or without rIL-2 administration, before primary or secondary immunization with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) or influenza virus A/PR8/34 (H1N1). Our results show the beneficial effect of pretreatment with rIL-2 in enhancing primary and secondary humoral immune responses to SRBC (p < 0.05) and possibly to influenza virus. Administration of well tolerated doses of rIL-2 before inoculation of antigen or infectious agent is not likely to be harmful and may even enhance protective immunological responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cancer, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mumcuoglu
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zakay-Rones
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Slavin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004912:Erythrocytes; D005260:Female; D007114:Immunization; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C / Q000097:blood* / Q000821:virology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D012397:Rosette Formation; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins