DETERMINATION OF LYMPHOCYTE SUBSETS AND CYTOKINE LEVELS IN CYNOMOLGUSMONKEYS

Lymphocyte subset counts and cytokine assays are useful to investigate the interactions of pharmaceuticals, particularly new biotechnology p roducts, with the immune system. As no specific reagents are available to label monkey lymphocytes or to assay monkey cytokines by ELISA, cr oss reactivities of a panel of monoclonal antibodies specific for huma n lymphocytes or cytokines were studied in the Cynomolgus monkey. The proportions of B, T, CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells were determined by flow c ytometry using a whole blood technique with at least one monoclonal an tibody for each subset. Background data were obtained for more than 30 0 samples. Monkey and human cultured white blood cells were stimulated with standard mitogens. PHA + LPS in humans and Con A + PWM in monkey s triggered the greatest proliferation. IL-1 beta IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, TN F-alpha, TNF-beta and IFN-gamma, but not IL-1 alpha, were detected in the monkey using human reagents. In addition, the cytokine profile and the kinetics of cytokine production compared well in humans and Cynom olgus monkeys.