Summary
Peripheral blood cells from patients with aplastic anemia were tested for their ability to release interleukin-2 (IL-2) and colony stimulating activity (CSA) before treatment. IL-2 release — as measured in the mouse thymocyte assay — was abnormally high in 18/34, and abnormally low in 10/34 patients. “Low” release was due to simultaneous release of thymocyte inhibitors. In 18 patients who achieved self-sustaining hemopoiesis after high dose immunosuppressive therapy, excess IL-2 release decreased to low levels (p<0.001), and the release of inhibitors disappeared.
In contrast, the release of CSA by patient cells — which did not correlate with peripheral blood monocyte counts — either remained high or increased to excessively high values in 24/24 patients tested before and after successful immunosuppressive treatment. Patients with stable hemopoietic grafts after bone marrow transplantation for aplastic anemia, did not release excess CSA.
It is concluded that IL-2 and CSA play opposite roles in aplastic anemia. High IL-2 release seems associated with disease activity, whereas high CSA-release appears to reflect a repair mechanism.
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This work was supported by grants of the Swiss Science Foundation 3.846.079, the Swiss Cancer League FOR 242. LR. 79 (3) and the Dr. M. Cloëtta-Foundation (Switzerland)
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Nissen, C., Moser, Y., Weis, J. et al. The release of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and colony stimulating activity (CSA) in aplastic anemia patients: opposite behaviour with improvement of bone marrow function. Blut 52, 221–230 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00321081
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00321081