ENGRAFTING ALLOGENEIC TISSUES OR ORGANS USING INTERLEUKIN

摘要

Disclosed herein is a method for in vivo treatment of a mammal with interleukin 2 (IL-2) that protects against mortality from acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) caused by MHC mismatched lymphoid cells. Doses of 10,000 to 50,000 U of IL-2 twice daily for the first 5 days after allogeneic bone marrow transplant in lethally irradiated mice markedly reduced mortality from both acute and chronic GVHD induced across complete MHC barriers and frequently led to long-term survival. Complete allogeneic marrow reconstitution was demonstrated in all long-term survivors of this treatment. While administration of either IL-2 or T cell depleted (TCD) syngeneic marrow alone was protective in some experiments, maximal protection was observed by administering both IL-2 and TCD syngeneic marrow, especially when the effects of IL-2 were suboptimal. Timing of IL-2 administration was critical for protection, since a delay of seven days in commencing IL-2 treatment was associated with accelerated GVHD mortality. Anti-leukemic effects of allogeneic lymphocytes were not diminished by the co-administration of IL-2 and TCD syngeneic marrow.