ISSN:
1432-2277
Keywords:
Key words Heart transplantation
;
Limiting dilution analysis
;
pHTL
;
Interleukin-2
;
Interleukin-4
;
Nonresponsiveness
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract The reduction in the frequency of rejection episodes several months after heart transplantation (HTX) correlates with the development of donor-specific nonresponsiveness. This is reflected in a reduced frequency of donor-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTL) in the peripheral blood. We investigated whether the reduced CTL frequency and the incidence of rejection episodes coincided with a change in the frequency of either IL-2- or IL-4-producing helper T lymphocytes (HTL). We measured the frequency of HTL before and at several time points after HTX in the blood of ten recipients, using limiting dilution analysis for IL-2 and IL-4. In most patients, HTL frequencies dropped immediately after transplantation, but returned to pre-HTX values later after transplantation. No consistent decrease or increase in frequencies was observed long after HTX. In contrast to IL-2, the HTL frequencies for IL-4 before transplantation were significantly higher in patients without post-HTX rejection episodes requiring treatment than in patients with such episodes. This phenomenon was observed for the in vitro responses towards both donor and third-party cells. In conclusion, relatively high frequencies of IL-4-producing T cells may have a beneficial effect on the outcome of human heart transplantation, because they are associated with a reduced incidence of rejection episodes after transplantation.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s001470050328
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