Impaired production of Th1 cytokines and increased frequency of Th2 subsets in PBMC from advanced cancer patients

Sato, M Goto, S Kaneko, R Ito, M Sato, S Takeuchi, S

M. Sato et al., Impaired production of Th1 cytokines and increased frequency of Th2 subsets in PBMC from advanced cancer patients, ANTICANC R, 18(5D), 1998, pp. 3951-3955

10

INGLESE

Article

Onconogenesis & Cancer Research

ANTICANCER RESEARCH

0250-7005 → ACNP

18

5D

1998

3951 - 3955

ISI

0250-7005(199809/10)18:5D<3951:IPOTCA>2.0.ZU;2-5

Background : A reported imbalance of Th1 and Th2 may be reponsible for the occurrence and progress of certain diseases. Patients with advanced cancer may have impaired cell-mediated immunity caused by a switch from Th1 to Th2 . We investigated the balance of Th1 and Th2 in cancer patients using two a pproaches. Methods: Flow cytometry was used to define Th1 and Th2 using int racellular cytokines, thereby determining the frequency of these helper T c ells in CD4(+) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The amount of cyt okines secreted by stimulated PBMC in bulk culture was determined. Results Production of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma in the culture was significantly lowe r in 9 patients (1188+/-634 pg/ml and 46+/-84 pg/ml) than in 10 healthy sub jects (2491+/-1037 pg/ml and 295+/-219 pg/ml) (p<0.002 and p<0.003), while the production of IL-4 was slightly higher in cancer patients than in the h ealthy subjects. The percentage of IFN-gamma-IL-4(+) cells in CD4(+) cells was significantly higher in the patients than in healthy subjects (4.3+/-2. 0% and 2.4+/-0.7%); there was no difference in IFN-gamma(+)IL-4(-) cells be tween the two groups. The ratio of IFN-gamma(+)IL-4(-) and IFN-gamma-IL-4() cells per individual was significantly lower in the patients. Conclusion : These results indicated that an imbalance of Th1 and Th2 was found not on ly in the frequency of the subsets in PBMC, but also in the capacity for cy tokine-production.