ABSTRACT
The immunomodulating effect of ceruloplasmin (CP) on the major components of the immunocompetent system of the organism--the natural resistance system and the specific immune response--has been established. CP can exert various influences on the level of expression of specific markers of T- and B-lymphocytes (as determined by various modifications of the rosette-forming test), on the phagocytic activity of neutrophils and monocytes as well as on the activity of "respiratory burst" enzymes. CP modulation was found to depend predominantly on the initial level of the immunological parameters to be determined, i. e., on the extent of immune inflammation in human patients. Thus, it was found that CP not only plays the roles of an antioxidant and a copper-transporting protein, but is also capable to interact with immunocytes, altering their biological activities. The observed immunotropicity of CP, its ability to directly interact with immunocytes and to model the immune function at the cell level provides evidence for the existence of a universal molecular language of information exchange between the macroorganism cells of various nature and origin.
