title: Effect of alpha-interferon on natural killer cell activity and lymphocyte subsets in thalassemia patients with chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: The variation of natural killer (NK) cell activity and lymphocyte subsets 20 h after a single test dose of alpha-IFN, was studied in 17 thalassemic patients with chronic hepatitis C. All patients had suspended the alpha-IFN therapy at least 12 months before the study: 10 were considered responders and 7 nonresponders. Also NK cell cytotoxicity after in vitro incubation with alpha-IFN was studied. The administration of a single dose of alpha-IFN increased NK cell cytotoxic activity significantly in the group of responders and in non-responders; moreover the NK cell cytotoxic activity after alpha-IFN in vitro incubation increased both in responders and nonresponders, but to a lesser degree than in healthy controls. Absolute values of CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes decreased significantly only in responders. In conclusion, our data suggest that the variation of NK cytotoxic activity and lymphocyte subsets after a test dose of alpha-IFN can be considered a parameter related to IFN biological effects.
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Pathology, University of Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Malaponte
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Passero
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leonardi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Monte
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lauria
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mazzarino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sciotto
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Russo Mancuso
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Gregorio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Musumeci
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000920:Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity / Q000187:drug effects*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha