Abstract
In the present study it was proved first that human recombinant interleukin-6(HrIL-6) significantly augmented natural killer(NK) cell activity derived from human fetal spleens against K562 target cells in a 4 hours51Cr release assay. The enhancement of NK activity with 24 hours preincubation in HrIL-6 was dose-dependent, and significnatly higher than that of fresh NK cells and controls cultured with RPMI-1640 medium alone (P<0.001). We also found that IL-6 was able to augment NK activity from different fetal spleens at 20 to 40 weeks of gestation (up to 2.24 to 2.78 times), and no difference of NK activity of fetal splenocytes treated by HrIL-6 was observed between different fetal age (32.3% to 45.4%,P>0.05). Furthermore, IL-6-augmented NK activity of fetal splenocytes was very similar to adult levels (P>0.05). These finding strongly indicated that IL-6 plays an important role in the development of NK cell function during the gestational period, suggesting that IL-6 may be of importance in the regulation of host defense mechanisms against malignancies and viral diseases.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
