title: Ability of lymphokine-activated killer cells to lyse mycobacteria-infected cells.
abstract: Lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells were generated by interleukin-2 activation of peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from lepromatous leprosy (LL) patients and healthy individuals. The ability of LAK cells to lyse targets (macrophages and T-24, a bladder carcinoma cell line) infected with mycobacteria (Mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterial strain ICRC) was assessed in a 51 chromium-release assay. It was observed that LAK cells generated from LL patients and healthy individuals could preferentially lyse M. leprae or ICRC-pulsed macrophages and T-24 cells, compared to non-pulsed targets. The ability of LAK cells to kill intracellular mycobacteria was demonstrated in colony forming assays. These results indicate a promising role for LAK cells in immunotherapy of leprosy.
authors.affiliation: Cellular Immunology Division, Cancer Research Institute, Tata Memorial Centre, Bombay, India.
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Chiplunkar
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Deshmukh
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kode
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Gangal
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Deo
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000276:immunology*; D015440:Leprosy, Lepromatous / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000382:microbiology*; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000382:microbiology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2