TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of rIL-2 treatment on anti-tetanus toxoid response in the elderly
AU - Fagiolo, Umberto
AU - Bordin, Maria Cristina
AU - Biselli, Roberto
AU - D'Amelio, Raffaele
AU - Zamarchi, Rita
AU - Amadori, Alberto
PY - 1997/2
Y1 - 1997/2
N2 - To explore the effects of interleukin-2 (IL-2) treatment in a vaccination protocol in the elderly, we administered low-dose rIL-2 to a group of aged subjects before primary tetanus toxoid immunization. A specific antibody response was detectable in the serum of 6/8 treated individuals after primary immunization, but in only 2/6 untreated controls; following antigenic boosting, specific antibody levels remained relatively unchanged in all the seroconverters. The data were confirmed by studying the ability to produce tetanus-specific antibodies in vitro, and by isoelectrofocusing analysis of serum anti-tetanus antibodies; this latter study showed a more restricted clonal response to the immunogen in untreated individuals. On the other hand, the study of the in vitro proliferative response to tetanus toxoid did not evidence clear differences between the two groups. On the whole, these data seem to indicate that a short-term rIL-2 treatment is able to potentiate the antibody response to tetanus toxoid, and may be a useful tool to improve humoral responses to vaccines in aged subjects.
AB - To explore the effects of interleukin-2 (IL-2) treatment in a vaccination protocol in the elderly, we administered low-dose rIL-2 to a group of aged subjects before primary tetanus toxoid immunization. A specific antibody response was detectable in the serum of 6/8 treated individuals after primary immunization, but in only 2/6 untreated controls; following antigenic boosting, specific antibody levels remained relatively unchanged in all the seroconverters. The data were confirmed by studying the ability to produce tetanus-specific antibodies in vitro, and by isoelectrofocusing analysis of serum anti-tetanus antibodies; this latter study showed a more restricted clonal response to the immunogen in untreated individuals. On the other hand, the study of the in vitro proliferative response to tetanus toxoid did not evidence clear differences between the two groups. On the whole, these data seem to indicate that a short-term rIL-2 treatment is able to potentiate the antibody response to tetanus toxoid, and may be a useful tool to improve humoral responses to vaccines in aged subjects.
KW - Aging
KW - Antibodies
KW - Immune response
KW - Interleukin-2
KW - Vaccination
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0030890681&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0030890681&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0047-6374(96)01836-2
DO - 10.1016/S0047-6374(96)01836-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 9089584
AN - SCOPUS:0030890681
VL - 93
SP - 205
EP - 214
JO - Mechanisms of Ageing and Development
JF - Mechanisms of Ageing and Development
SN - 0047-6374
IS - 1-3
ER -