ABSTRACT
The therapy with thymus extracts, oral and parenteral, reduced the frequency and the intensity of recurrences of herpes labialis infections. The duration of the effect was at least 6 month after interruption of the therapy. Indomethacin was effective and developed and intensive effect only during the therapy. The skin test with recall-antigens and the neopterin-elimination were altered at the first day of the menstruation during the recurrence. The normalisation succeeded during therapy. In patients with recurrences in the perimenstrual time we observed a reduced T-helper/T-suppressor index during the first day of menstruation. Normal data were registered out of the recurrence time and/or under therapy. Inhibitors of the lymphokine: leucocyte/migration inhibitory factor (LIF) with a molecular weight of 6-12 KD were obtained with the specific stimulation of mononuclear cells of patients with recurrent infections with herpes labialis using the herpes-virus-1 antigen. The inhibition of fibrinolysis/proteolysis with aprotinin, tranexamic acid, phenyl-methyl-sulphonyl-fluoride and di-isopropyl-fluorophosphate could prevent the appearance of inhibitors. Inhibitors could be produced by splitting the LIF-molecule with urokinase and plasminogen but not with trypsin. The production, but not the activity, of present LIF-inhibitors are blocked in vivo and in vitro by indomethacin and thymus peptides.
Subject(s)
Adjuvants, Immunologic/administration & dosage , Herpes Labialis/therapy , Immunity, Cellular/drug effects , Administration, Oral , Adult , Female , Herpes Labialis/immunology , Humans , Indomethacin/administration & dosage , Leukocyte Migration-Inhibitory Factors/analysis , Recurrence , T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer/immunology , T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology , Thymus Extracts/administration & dosageABSTRACT
The depression of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) was determined in patients with ovarian and breast carcinomas by lymphokine production under Con-A-stimulation (migration inhibitory factor), T-lymphocyte-transformation test under PHA-stimulation and with a skin reactivity test with a viscum album extract (Plenosol, Dr. Madaus, Cologne, FRG). The results show a good correlation between the different types of CMI function tests. The cytostatics have a depressive effect on CMI more through a cumulative effect than through the actual concentration. Some of the patients with chronic rheumatism who were not treated were anergic, and that also had an influence on the therapy.
Subject(s)
Arthritis/immunology , Breast Neoplasms/immunology , Immunity, Cellular , Ovarian Neoplasms/immunology , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Cells, Cultured , Female , Headache/immunology , Humans , Lymphocyte Activation , Pain/immunology , Reference Values , Skin TestsABSTRACT
Extracts of Viscum album (Plenosol) and Echinacea purpurea (Echinacin) are used clinically for their non-specific action on cell-mediated immunity. In vitro we could prove that these two extracts have a stimulating effect on the production of lymphokines by lymphocytes and in the transformation test. A toxic effect on cells was produced only with very high, clinically irrelevant concentrations. Clinical application of these extracts can produce a stimulation of cell-mediated immunity (one therapeutic administration followed by a free interval of one week) or can have a depressive action (daily administrations of higher doses). These observations were confirmed by lymphokine production and assay, 3H-thymidine incorporation and a skin test with recall antigens (Multitest Merieux).
