High frequency of IL-4 producing helper T lymphocytes associated with a reduced incidence of heart allograft rejection.
The reduction in the frequency of rejection episodes several months after heart transplantation (HTX) correlates with the development of donor-specific nonresponsiveness. This is reflected in a reduced frequency of donor-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTL) in the peripheral blood. We investigated whether the reduced CTL frequency and the incidence of rejection episodes coincided with a change in the frequency of either IL-2- or IL-4-producing helper T lymphocytes (HTL). We measured the frequency of HTL before and at several time points after HTX in the blood of ten recipients, using limiting dilution analysis for IL-2 and IL-4. In most patients, HTL frequencies dropped immediately after transplantation, but returned to pre-HTX values later after transplantation. No consistent decrease or increase in frequencies was observed long after HTX. In contrast to IL-2, the HTL frequencies for IL-4 before transplantation were significantly higher in patients without post-HTX rejection episodes requiring treatment than in patients with such episodes. This phenomenon was observed for the in vitro responses towards both donor and third-party cells. In conclusion, relatively high frequencies of IL-4-producing T cells may have a beneficial effect on the outcome of human heart transplantation, because they are associated with a reduced incidence of rejection episodes after transplantation.
Van Hoffen
E
E
Department of Pathology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Polen
E
E
Robertus-Teunissen
M
M
De Jonge
N
N
Lahpor
J R
JR
Gmelig-Meyling
F H
FH
De Weger
R A
RA
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014019:Tissue Donors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D015415:Biomarkers; D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015847:Interleukin-4