title: Comparative analysis of interleukin 15 and interleukin 2 for induction of killer activity and of type 2 cytokine production by mononuclear cells from lung cancer patients.
abstract: Interleukin (IL) 15 is a novel cytokine with IL-2-like activity. In this study, we examined the effect of IL-15 on induction of non major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted killer activity and of type 2 cytokine production by peripheral blood and pleural mononuclear cells (MNCs), from 34 lung cancer patients and 20 control subjects. IL-15 induced significant killer activity in blood MNCs from lung cancer patients as well as control subjects against a small-cell lung cancer cell line (SBC-3). Effective killer induction by IL-15 was observed even in blood MNCs and pleural MNCs from the site of tumour growth in advanced lung cancer patients. IL-12 had an additive effect with a suboptimal dose of IL-15 in induction of killer activity. In the case of MNCs from lung cancer patients, IL-10 production was more prominent when cells were incubated with IL-2 than with IL-15. IL-5 production was observed in MNCs from lung cancer patients stimulated with IL-2, but not with IL-15. These observations suggest that IL-15, by virtue of its lesser induction of type 2 cytokine, may be a better candidate than IL-2 for lung cancer immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Tokushima School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yanagawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bando
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019409:Interleukin-15 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016260:Monocytes, Activated Killer / Q000276:immunology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D019409:Interleukin-15; D007376:Interleukin-2