Chemo-adoptive immunotherapy of nude mice implanted with human colorectal carcinoma and melanoma cell lines

Summary The antitumor effects of chemotherapy, recombinant human interleukin-2 (IL-2), recombinant human interferon A/D (IFN), allogeneic human lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells, and antitumor monoclonal antibody (mAb), administered alone and in various combinations, were tested in athymic nude mice carrying human tumor xenografts. Treatment began 6–18 days after i.v. or i.p. inoculation of colorectal carcinoma or melanoma cell lines, when macroscopic growths were evident. Chemotherapy consisted of two or three courses of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or dacarbazine. IL-2 and/or IFN were administered three to five times weekly for 1–3 weeks, usually starting 2–5 days after chemotherapy. Human LAK cells were infused once or twice weekly for 2 or 3 weeks concurrently with IL-2. In some experiments, murine anticolorectal carcinoma mAb (SF25) was administered. In both tumor systems, chemotherapy alone or immunotherapy alone (IL-2, IL-2 + LAK cells, IFN, IL-2 + IFN ± LAK cells) had little or no therapeutic effects. Additive effects were obtained by combining chemotherapy with IL-2 and LAK cells or with IL-2 and IFN. In the majority of the experiments, the most effective combination was chemotherapy + IL-2 + IFN + LAK cells. Treatment with mAb was beneficial in the colorectal carcinoma system when combined with 5-FU + IL-2 or 5-FU + IL-2 + IFN. Homing experiments with radiolabeled human and mouse LAK cells injected i.v. showed increased early accumulation in the liver and lungs, whereas freshly explanted mouse splenocytes localized mostly in the spleen and liver. The tissue distribution pattern of human LAK cells was similar in normal and tumor-bearing mice (with lung metastases). These findings suggest that combination of chemotherapy with cytokines and LAK cells can be partially effective for advanced solid human tumors even in the absence of the host's T-cell immune response. Preliminary experiments showed that tumor-specific, anti-melanoma T-cell clones were effective in local (s.c.) tumor growth inhibition (Winn assay) following coinjection with the autologous tumor cells.     

Cytotoxic and noncytotoxic mechanisms involved in the in vitro anti-leukaemia effects of T cell clones established from a chronic myelogenous leukaemia patient during treatment in vivo with interferon α

Summary T cell clones derived from a chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) patient during interferon (IFN, Wellferon) biotherapy preferentially lysed autologous rather than allogeneic CML target cells in an apparently MHC-unrestricted fashion, but also lysed bone marrow cells from certain normal donors regardless of whether or not they shared HLA antigens with the patient. Although T cell clones inhibited both CML and normal bone marrow in the colony-forming assay, they blocked proliferation of CML cells more efficiently than bone marrow cells. This inhibitory effect was mediated at least in part by the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and IFN secreted by the clones. Antisera to these cytokines partially prevented inhibition. Involvement of additional factors is also suggested in blocking CML cell proliferation because this was not 100% inhibited even by a combination of TNF and IFN. In addition, most clones failed strongly to block the proliferation of normal bone marrow cells, which were susceptible to inhibition by these cytokines.This work was supported in part by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 120)     

Circulating concentrations of interleukin-6 in cancer patients and their pathogenic role in tumor-induced hypercalcemia

Circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentrations correlate with disease activity in severe inflammatory conditions, in sepsis and in some hematological malignancies. On the other hand, IL-6 is a potent stimulator of osteoclastogenesis and has been implicated as a contributory factor in the genesis of osteopenic conditions. We measured circulating IL-6 levels by a sensitive (detection limit of 10 U/ml) and specific bioassay in 103 patients with advanced cancer, including 41 with tumor-induced hypercalcemia before any specific hypocalcemic therapy. We related IL-6 concentrations to clinical features and to biochemical parameters of bone metabolism, including blood Ca, Ca²⁺, P_i, intact parathyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone-related protein, osteocalcin, 1,25-(OH)₂-vitamin D and, as markers of bone resorption, the fasting urinary excretion of calcium (Ca/creatinine) and hydroxyproline. IL-6 levels were increased, i.e. detectable, in 23% of the patients, 8/41 (20%) hypercalcemic and 16/62 (26%) normocalcemic patients (NS); the distribution of the values was similar in the two groups. The presence of increased IL-6 concentrations was not related to any clinical characteristic, notably not to the survival nor to the existence of bone metastases, whether in hypercalcemic or normocalcemic patients; e.g., only 3/12 (25%) hypercalcemic subjects without bone metastases had elevated IL-6 levels. We found no significant correlations between IL-6 concentrations and any of the biochemical parameters studied. Hypercalcemic subjects with increased IL-6 had higher urinary Ca/creatinine levels than patients with normal IL-6 levels (P<0.005) but this was not the case in normocalcemic subjects. Mean concentrations of inflammatory or other bone metabolism markers were not significantly different between patients with normal or with elevated IL-6 levels. In summary, circulating IL-6 levels were increased in 23% of 103 patients with advanced cancer, but the frequency of increased IL-6 concentrations was not related to the presence of hypercalcemia or to any marker of calcium metabolism or bone turnover. The pathogenic importance of circulating IL-6 in patients with solid tumors remains to be demonstrated and our data indicate that increased circulating levels of IL-6, possibly reflecting the activation of the immune system, only contribute in a minor way to the osteolytic process in patients with tumor-induced hypercalcemia.     

Proinflammatory cytokine profiles in prediabetic Saudi patients

Prediabetes is an increase-risk state for diabetes that is associated with an increase in blood glucose levels to more than normal, but not increased enough to be termed as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A timely intervention and management of prediabetes can stop its further progression to the diabetic state. Many cytokines are involved in diseases including diabetes, however, their role in prediabetes is unknown. In this study, we attempted to analyze numerous proinflammatory cytokines in prediabetic patients. A total of 60 adult Saudi prediabetes patients and healthy control individuals were included in this study. To better understand the role of the proinflammatory cytokines in prediabetes patients and its potential link to the disease outcome, the variations in the levels of these cytokines were investigated using Multi-Analyte ELISA technique. The T helper cells (Th1 and Th2) immune response expression profiling of 84 genes was done using Real Time-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) technique. The present finding showed that serum Interleukin IL-2, IL-1β, and IL-1α levels of all prediabetes patients were increased when compared with healthy control cases (P < 0.05). Inductions of proinflammatory cytokines and upregulation of Th1 and Th2 immune genes might play a potential role during prediabetes status and may be linked to the disease outcome. Further studies are needed to investigate the underlying mechanism of these proinflammatory cytokines in diabetes development. A strong positive correlation was found between IL and 1α with glucose levels than with IL-1β and IL-2. In conclusion, cytokines, especially IL-1, may play a critical role in the development of diabetes.     

肺炎支原体肺炎患儿血清sB7-H3含量与细胞因子水平及病情严重程度的相关性研究

摘要 目的：研究肺炎支原体肺炎（mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, MPP）患儿血清可溶性共刺激分子B7-H3（soluble co-stimulatory molecule B7-H3, sB7-H3）含量与细胞因子水平及病情严重程度的相关性。方法：收集2019年3月至2020年6月期间我院收治的MPP患儿共96例,根据患儿病情严重程度分为轻症MPP组和重症MPP组,另选取同期于我院体检中心体检的健康儿童50例作为对照组。收集所有受试者的一般资料、主要临床表现、临床指标及细胞因子水平,对各指标进行Pearson相关性分析和多元逐步回归分析。结果：与对照组相比,MPP组患儿的白细胞计数（white blood cell, WBC）、中性粒细胞计数（neutrophil, NE）、红细胞沉降率（erythrocyta sedimentation rate, ESR）、C反应蛋白（C-reactive protein,CRP）、sB7-H3、粒细胞-巨噬细胞集落刺激因子（granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, GM-CSF）、干扰素-γ（interferon-γ, IFN-γ）、白介素-10（interleukin-10,IL-10）和白介素-17A（interleukin-17A,IL-17A）均较高（P＜0.05）;与轻症MPP组患儿相比,重症MPP组患儿的WBC、NE、ESR、CRP、sB7-H3、GM-CSF、IFN-γ、IL-10和IL-17A均较高（P＜0.05）。Pearson相关性分析结果表明,sB7-H3与WBC、NE、ESR、CRP、GM-CSF、IFN-γ、IL-10和IL-17A呈正相关（P＜0.05）。多元线性回归分析显示,GM-CSF（β=0.103,P＜0.001）、IFN-γ（β=0.121,P＜0.001）、IL-10（β=0.026,P＜0.001）和IL-17A（β=0.093,P＜0.001）是sB7-H3的独立影响因素。结论：MPP患儿血清sB7-H3、GM-CSF、IFN-γ、IL-10和IL-17A与MPP的病情严重程度密切相关,且sB7-H3的表达水平与GM-CSF、IFN-γ、IL-10和IL-17A的水平呈正相关。     

Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Decrease Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein and Its Encoding mRNA in Astrocyte Cultures and Glioblastoma Cells

Abstract: Tumor necrosis factor-α is a pluripotent cytokine that is reportedly mitogenic to astrocytes. We examined expression of the astrocyte intermediate filament component glial fibrillary acidic protein in astrocyte cultures and the U373 glioblastoma cell line after treatment with tumor necrosis factor-α. Treatment with tumor necrosis factor-α for 72 h resulted in a decrease in content of glial fibrillary acidic protein and its encoding mRNA. At the same time, tumor necrosis factor-α treatment increased the expression of the cytokine interleukin-6 by astrocytes. The decrease in glial fibrillary acidic protein expression was greater when cells were subconfluent than when they were confluent. Thymidine uptake studies demonstrated that U373 cells proliferated in response to tumor necrosis factor-α, but primary neonatal astrocytes did not. However, in both U373 cells and primary astrocytes tumor necrosis factor-α induced an increase in total cellular protein content. Treatment of astrocytes and U373 cells for 72 h with the mitogenic cytokine basic fibroblast growth factor also induced a decrease in glial fibrillary acidic protein content and an increase in total protein level, demonstrating that this effect is not specific for tumor necrosis factor-α. The decrease in content of glial fibrillary acidic protein detected after tumor necrosis factor-α treatment is most likely due to dilution by other proteins that are synthesized rapidly in response to cytokine stimulation.     

Measurement of cytokine antibodies. Test development

Several assays have been used for detection of antibodies against cytokines. The choice of assay is greatly dependent on the intended goal, e.g. detection of naturally occurring antibodies or therapy induced antibodies. The different assays can be grouped in 2 categories. The interference or indirect assays are based on the detection of the test sample interference with the biological activity, with detection of the cytokine in EIA or with binding to cellular receptors. In direct assays cytokine antibodies are detected by binding to solid phase fixed cytokines, followed by incubation with a secondary enzyme-labelled anti-human Ig antibody or by binding to¹²⁵I-labelled cytokines in RIA.     

布地奈德福莫特罗粉吸入剂联合孟鲁斯特对支气管哮喘急性发作期患者肺功能及血清细胞因子水平的影响

目的:研究布地奈德福莫特罗粉吸入剂(ST)联合孟鲁斯特对支气管哮喘急性发作期(ASBA)患者肺功能及血清细胞因子水平的影响。方法:选择2015年2月到2017年8月在我院治疗的86例ASBA患者作为研究对象,根据随机数字表法将患者分成观察组(n=43)以及对照组(n=43),对照组予以ST治疗,观察组则在此基础上联合孟鲁司特治疗,两组均治疗3个月,对比两组患者治疗前及治疗3个月后的肺功能、细胞因子水平、咳嗽评分、St·George's呼吸疾病问卷(SGRQ)以及用药安全性。结果:治疗后两组患者的第1秒的用力呼气容积(FEV1)、用力肺活量(FVC)及FEV1/FVC均较治疗前升高,且观察组高于对照组(P0.05)。治疗后两组患者的白细胞介素-4(IL-4)、白细胞介素-5(IL-5)、γ-干扰素(INF-γ)及肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)水平均较治疗前降低,且观察组低于对照组(P0.05)。治疗后两组患者的咳嗽评分较治疗前升高,且观察组高于对照组(P0.05),而治疗后两组患者的SGRQ评分均较治疗前降低,且观察组低于对照组(P0.05)。观察组不良反应的总发生率为20.93%,与对照组的16.28%相比无统计学差异(P0.05)。结论:ASBA给予ST联合孟鲁司特治疗能够有效改善患者的症状,缓解机体炎症反映的同时还可有效改善患者肺功能和生活质量,其用药安全性较好。