Studies on the cellular immune response in patients with bladder carcinoma. III. Inhibition of phytohemagglutinin-induced lymphocytes transformation by serum from the patients with bladder carcinoma (author's transl)

Abstract

The in vitro reactivity of normal lymphocytes with various serum was determined by quantitation of phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced tritiated thymidine incorporation (cpm).A rate of blastogenesis of lymphocytes was expressed as stimulation index (SI) that was calculated dividing cpm with PHA by that without PHA.Effects of sera on blastogenesis of normal lymphocytes was expressed as percent change (%SI) per SI with fetal calf serum.SI of normal lymphocytes showed almost equal value with any one; autologous serum 26.7±11.6 (mean±SD), fetal calf serum 25.4±11.8 and inactivated homologous AB serum 28.8±11.4. But SI of normal lymphocytes with serum from the patients with bladder carcinoma was 14.0±7.9. It was significantly lower than that with fetal calf serum or homologous normal AB serum.The inhibition of transformation of normal lymphocytes was more significant with serum from the preoperative patients with bladder carcinoma (%SI 57.5±18.9) than the post-operative ones (%SI 85.6±15.6). %SI was lower with serum from the high grade and high stage bladder carcinoma group than the low grade and low stage one.On the other hand, SI of lymphocytes from patients with other malignant disease, such as prostatic carcinoma and embryonal cell carcinoma of testis, showed significantly lower level with autologous serum than fetal calf serum or homologous normal AB serum. SI of the same lymphocytes was also low with serum from patients with bladder carcinoma as well as autologous one. Therefore, it was likely that the inhibitory effect of serum from the patients with bladder carcinoma was not specific to bladder carcinoma.Serum globulin fraction was also studied by means of cellulose acetate electrophoresis in 34 patients with bladder carcinoma and 14 patients without carcinoma. There was no difference in the practical pattern of serum globulin between the patients with carcinoma and those without carcinoma. In the former, serum globulin fraction was as follows, α1 3.34±0.89, α2 8.92±1.67, β 11.13±1.38 and γ 18.21±3.99%. In the latter, each fraction was 3.09±0.57, 8.63±1.76, 10.73±1.03, and 18.36+4.09%, respectively.