title: Administration of a polyvalent mechanical bacterial lysate to elderly patients with COPD: Effects on circulating T, B and NK cells.
abstract: The modifications of the subsets of circulating lymphocytes were evaluated in a group of patients with COPD undergoing treatment with a polyvalent mechanical bacterial lysate (PMBL), a drug that is able to significantly modify the natural history of these patients. Using multicolor immune-florescence and flow cytometry, T, B subsets and NK cells were extensively studied both in the group of treated patients and in a disease and age matched controls. Despite the age, in treated patients, T and NK cells were significantly increased in numbers of circulating cells, but not in percentages, while B cells remained unmodified. CD3+4+T cells were increased in treated patients, while CD3+CD8T cells were unmodified by the treatment. Activated T cells were increased but Treg, resulted reduced both in percentage than in absolute numbers. Transitional B cells resulted increased (in percentage and in absolute numbers) in their late maturation step (T3), while only early Naïve B cells were increased by the treatment, while other naïve subpopulations were unmodified. Memory B cells were reduced in percentage (but remained unmodified as absolute numbers), while the most immature form of memory B cells was significantly increased. Finally, both switch memory B cells and plasma cells resulted unmodified by the PMBL treatment. These results clearly indicated that the administration of the PMBL, even in elderly patients with COPD, was able to induce a significant immune-stimulation and these results, at cellular level, clearly support the evidence that the mechanism of action of PMBL is strictly related to a direct effect on immune-competent cells.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Farmacologia Traslazionale, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Via Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, 00133, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lanzilli
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Traggiai
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Braido
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Garelli
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Folli
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiappori
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Riccio
authors.forename: Gyada
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bazurro
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agazzi
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Magnani
authors.forename: Giorgio Walter
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Canonica
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Melioli
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002457:Cell Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D000095983:Bacterial Lysates
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D002457:Cell Extracts; C030259:Broncho-Vaxom; D000095983:Bacterial Lysates