Effects of staphylococcal phage lysate (SPL) on immunoglobulin production in human peripheral lymphocyte cultures

Abstract

Polyclonal immunoglobulin (Ig) productions in human peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures activated with staphylococcal phage lysate (SPL) were studied. 1) In mitogenic activity, optimal dose of SPL (25μl/ml, 25μg/ml protein concentration) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM, 10μg/ml) gave the maximum 3H-thymidine uptake on the fifth day in lymphocyte cultures. 2) Maximal Ig production in lymphocyte cultures with SPL (25-50μl/ml) was observed on the seventh day for each Ig class IgG, IgM, and IgA. However, IgF production of lymphocyte stimulated with SPL was less than IgG production with PWM. 3) Ig production with SPL was augmented by the addition of T cell to B cell culture, and when the ratio of T cell to B cell was 1 : 1, maximum Ig production was observed. T cell and B cell alone, on the other hand, did not secret Ig. 4) Ig production in lymphocyte cultures with SPL was enhanced in the presence of 1×105 macrophages, and no enhancement was observed in the absence of macrophages. 5) SPL-induced culture supernatant of lymphocytes also enhanced Ig production at a concentration of 25%. AS noted above, SPL have both mitogenic activity and enhancement effect of Ig production, and these effects augmented in the presence of T cell and macrophages. Moreover, the presence of factors for Ig production in supernatant of SPL-stimulated lymphocyte cultures were suggested.