title: Possibility of preventive treatment for EBV-associated NK cell-lineage proliferative disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic active EBV infections (CAEBV) are often causative of malignant lymphoproliferative disorders, such as natural killer (NK) cell-lineage granular lymphocyte proliferative disorders (NK-GLPD), which are refractory to several conventional chemotherapies and usually show a poor prognosis. To explore the possibility of preventive treatment for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected NK-GLPD, we examined the effect of antiviral drugs on EBV-infected pre-malignant NK cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  EBV-infected pre-malignant NK cells (P-NK cells) were isolated from the periphery of a patient suffering from severe hypersensitivity to mosquito bites (SHMB). Abnormal oligoclonal expansion of EBV-infected CD56(+)/CD3(-) NK cells was observed in her periphery. Effects of several antiviral drugs were examined both on the proliferation and on EBV-replication of P-NK cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Vidarabine and foscarnet, but not acyclovir nor gancyclovir, significantly suppressed both the proliferation and EBV-DNA replication of P-NK cells in a dose-dependent manner, whereas these drugs did not suppress the proliferation of YT, which is an EBV-infected malignant NK cell line. The combination of vidarabine and foscarnet had an additive effect and almost completely suppressed the proliferation of P-NK cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results indicate that vidarabine and/or foscarnet may be effective for preventive treatment of EBV-associated NK-GLPD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871.
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Norihiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohshima
authors.forename: Taeko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Kiyoshi L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Tsuneo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morishima
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kawase
authors.forename: Yukihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saeki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002908:Chronic Disease; D009033:Culicidae; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D017245:Foscarnet / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology*; D014740:Vidarabine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D017245:Foscarnet; D014740:Vidarabine