Effects of in vivo administration of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-4, alone
and in combination, on ex vivo human basophil histamine release
MV White, Y Igarashi, BE Emery, MT Lotze and MA Kaliner
Allergic Diseases Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Human basophils possess receptors for interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-4. The
effect of 3 days of intravenous administration of IL-2 and/or IL-4 on
basophil histamine release was examined in three groups of patients
receiving IL-2, IL-4, or the combination of agents as part of a protocol to
treat malignant melanoma or renal cell carcinoma. Because all patients
received ranitidine for control of side effects, a control group of
patients receiving ranitidine for Zollinger-Ellison's syndrome was also
studied. IL-4 significantly inhibited IgE-mediated histamine release, while
there was a trend for enhancement of IgE-mediated histamine release by
IL-2. Administration of the combination of IL-2 and IL-4 did not alter
IgE-mediated basophil histamine release. Both IL- 2 and IL-4, alone and in
combination, enhanced basophil histamine release induced by histamine
releasing factors in human nasal washings. The effect of IL-2 alone was
significantly greater than that of IL-4 alone or the combination of IL-2
plus IL-4. Taken together, the data suggest that when coadministered, IL-4
may inhibit the effects of IL-2 on basophils. Neither cytokine exerted any
effect on basophil histamine release induced by the calcium ionophore
A23187, nor did ranitidine cause any effects on histamine release induced
by any of the stimulants. Thus, human basophil reactivity can be affected
by IL-2 and by IL-4. The role that these two cytokines play in basophil
function in vivo is likely to be complex.
Volume 79,
Issue 6,
pp. 1491-1495,
03/15/1992
Copyright © 1992 by The American Society of Hematology
