Effects of interferon-alpha and gamma on development of LAK activity from mononuclear cells in breast cancer patients.
We examined the effect of recombinant IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma on induction of LAK cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) in 7 pre-operative breast cancer patients and 4 healthy volunteers. Significant LAK activity was developed from PBMNCs of pre-operative breast cancer patients and healthy volunteers after incubation for 4 days with IL-2 (presence of IL-2 vs. absence of IL-2). Incubation of PBMNCs of pre-operative breast cancer patients with 1000 U/ml of IFN-alpha for 4 days suppressed the LAK activity significantly (P < 0.05). By contrast, incubation of PBMNCs of pre-operative patients with 1000 U/ml of IFN-gamma for 4 days increased the LAK activity significantly (P < 0.05). Significant cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells (estrogen receptor positive human breast cancer cell line) was developed from PBMNCs of pre-operative breast cancer patients at 20:1 and 40:1 E/T ratios after incubation for 4 days with IL-2 (absence of IL-2 vs. 20:1 or 40:1, P < 0.05, P < 0.05), whereas PBMNCs of healthy volunteers did not. Stimulation of LAK cells with IFN-gamma produced a significant augmentation of cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 (P < 0.05), while IFN-alpha suppressed the cytotoxicity significantly (P < 0.05). These findings suggested that combined stimulation by IFN-gamma and IL-2 might be a reasonable treatment for breast cancer patients.
Kamamura
Y
Y
Second Department of Surgery, University of Tokushima School of Medicine, Japan.
Takahashi
K
K
Komaki
K
K
Monden
Y
Y
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000473:pathology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects; D004967:Estrogens; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / Q000473:pathology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology
D004967:Estrogens; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma