EFFECTS OF HUMAN INTERLEUKIN-7 ON PROLIFERATION OF TUMOR AND IMMUNOLOGICAL EFFECTOR-CELLS

Research on interleukin-7 (IL-7) has been of major interest since it i s known that IL-7 augments cytotoxic activity of peripheral blood lymp hocytes. The potential capacity of interleukin-7 (IL-7) to stimulate t umor cells must be evaluated before IL-7 can be clinically applied. We investigated the proliferative effects of IL-7 on various malignant c ell lines. In addition, the effect of IL-7 on generation of cytotoxic cells derived from peripheral blood lymphocytes was studied. We found that most of the tumor cell lines are not stimulated or inhibited by I L-7. Since there is no stimulatory effect on most tumor cells, IL-7 an d IL-7 generated immunologic effector cells may be used in cancer ther apy protocols. This work is essential for clinical trials involving th e use of IL-7.