inosine-pranobex and Leukemia

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Child, Preschool; Clinical Trials as Topic; Herpes Simplex; Herpes Zoster; Humans; Inosine; Inosine Pranobex; Leukemia; Lymphoma

The effects of Isoprinosine (ISO) on interleukin-2 (IL-2) production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were investigated. Treatment (of human PBMC) with ISO enhanced IL-2 production by PBMC from 7 of 10 normal individuals. However, no augmentation of IL-2 production was observed when cultures of HUT-78 cells, a human leukemic T cell line, were treated with ISO. IL-2 purified from supernatants of human PBMC treated with ISO exhibited pI values of 5.5 and 6.4. IL-2 prepared from untreated PBMC exhibited a single pI value of 8.2. The pI value of IL-2 prepared from ISO-treated PBMC shifted to 8.2 after treatment with neuraminidase, demonstrating that the IL-2 molecules isolated from ISO-treated PBMC possessed sialic acid. The pI values of the IL-2 isolated from ISO-treated and untreated HUT-78 culture supernatants were identical (pI = 7.8) and were not modified by neuraminidase treatment. These results suggest that the increase in IL-2 production following treatment of PBMC with ISO may be mediated through the activation of a distinct subset of IL-2 producing cells. Furthermore, the sialylation of IL-2 may be of physiologic and immunopharmacologic importance.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Adult; Cell Line; Cells, Cultured; Chromatography, Affinity; Culture Media; Humans; Inosine; Inosine Pranobex; Interleukin-2; Isoelectric Focusing; Lectins; Leukemia; Lymphocytes; Neuraminidase; Sialic Acids

Isoprinosine was given to 15 children with lymphoblastic diseases and 3 adults during infections with herpes viruses - herpes simplex (HSV) and varicella-zoster viruses (VZV). The control group included 7 children who had previously suffered from infections with HSV and VZV without being treated with isoprinosine. The clinical observations showed a significant inhibitory effect of isoprinosine on viral infections, with the duration of the disease being shortened considerably. The authors think isoprinosine treatment to be justified in viral infections, especially in children with neoplastic diseases, because of the immunostimulating action of the drug, rapid clinical improvement and good tolerance of the drug.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Child, Preschool; Drug Tolerance; Female; Herpesviridae Infections; Humans; Inosine; Inosine Pranobex; Leukemia; Lymphoma; Male