NATURAL-KILLER ACTIVITY IN SPLEENS AND LYMPH-NODES FROM PATIENTS WITH HODGKINS-DISEASE

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 42  (5) , 2063-2068
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) activity against K-562 myeloid [leukemia] cell line was evaluated in 21 spleens and 14 lymph nodes from patients with Hodgkin''s disease (HD). NK activity of 8 HD-involved (HD+) spleens [556 lytic units (LU)] was 5-fold higher than that of 13 HD-uninvolved (HD-) spleens (112 LU) (P < 0.01). NK activity of HD+ spleens was significantly different (P < 0.05) from that of 3 spleens involved by non-HD lymphoma (100 LU). NK activity of 4 spleens from nonneoplastic patients (250 LU) was intermediate between those of HD+ and HD- spleens. Lymph node cells were about 10-fold less cytotoxic. NK activity of 7 HD+ lymph nodes (43 LU) was 3-fold higher than that of 3 lymph nodes involved by non-HD lymphoma (8 LU). These differences were not statistically significant. The data are compatible with increased NK activity in HD+ tissues as well as with depressed NK activity in HD- tissues. The observation that NK activity of peripheral blood leukocytes from 9 HD patients (116 LU) (P < 0.05 only at 100:1 effector:target cell ratio) may support the latter interpretation. Partial characterization of effector cells in HD+ and in HD- spleens indicated that, in both instances, NK cells were nonadherent and almost equally distributed between the erythrocyte-negative and -positive cell fractions. NK activity of HD+ and HD- spleen cells could be further potentiated in vitro by interferon.

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