Demonstration of inhibitory factors affecting cell-mediated immunity in patients with Hodgkin's disease

Abstract

In the present investigations attempts have been made to study factor(s) involved in impairment of cellular immunity in Hodgkin's disease (HD). Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 42 untreated HD patients in differnent stages of the disease showed depressed PHA responsiveness as compared to 23 mormal healthy individuals. Peripheral blood lymphocytes of 7/13 HD patients showed partial restoration of ability to respond to PHA after overnight incubation in tissue culture media, supplemented either with human AB serum or fetal calf serum (FCS). The restoration appeared to be more common in cultures incubated in media supplemented with FCS than with AB serum. Supernatants of lymphocyte cultures from HD patients and their sera showed significant inhibition of PHA induced transformation of lymphocytes obtained from healthy donors. In contrast, normal lymphocyte culture supernatants and sera were less inhibitory to PHA induced transformation of normal lymphocytes. Cultures of HD lymphocytes, which failed to restore PHA responsiveness after overnight incubation, also showed inhibitory factors in supernatants.