STIMULATION OF COCAINE-INHIBITED LYMPHOCYTE-RESPONSES BY IN-VITRO IL-2 TREATMENT

The effects of in vitro recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2) treatment on lymphocyte proliferation and Natural Killer (NK) cell activity inhibit ed by cocaine were examined. In lymphocytes activated by PHA (2mug/ml) , cocaine induced a decrease of [H-3]-thymidine incorporation at the d rug concentrations presented in the blood of addicts (0.1 mug/ml). Thi s effect was not observed when IL-2 (500 U/ml) was present in the incu bation medium. Interestingly, in non PHA-activated cells, cocaine had no effect on lymphoproliferative response to IL-2. Parallelly, in vitr o addition of IL-2 (20, 200, 500 U/ml) promoted the reversal of the in hibition of NK cell cytotoxicity of spleen lymphocytes collected from cocaine-immunosuppressed mice. We conclude that IL-2 can directly rest ore the deficient functions of lymphocytes inhibited by cocaine use/ab use.