[Effects of Allogeneic Transplantation of T Helper-2 Cells on Graft-versus-Host Disease and Graft-versus-Leukemia Effect].

This study was undertaken to explore whether the graft-versus-host-disease could be decreased and graft-versus-leukemia effect be retained by transplantation of allogeneic T helper-2 (Th2) cells. T cells from C57BL/6(H-2b) mice were incubated and polarized with rmIL-4, Con A and ionomycin in vitro, and then, the T cells were mixed with marrow cells and transplanted into recipient BALB/c(H-2d) mice bearing erythroleukemia cells. The occurence of GVHD and GVL effect was observed. The results showed that the mean survival time in the groups of untreated control, cyclophosphamide treatment, marrow and spleen T cell transplantation and marrow and Th2 cell transplantation was 10.6 +/- 1.3, 18.7 +/- 4.2, 22.7 +/- 7.4 and 36.9 +/- 10.8 days, respectively. In untreated control and cycophosphamide treatment groups, all of ten mice died from leukemia. Nine of ten mice died from GVHD in marrow and spleen T cells transplantation group. In marrow and spleen Th2 cell transplantation group, three of ten mice died from GVHD, and GVHD was not occurred in the other seven mice, and there was no any evidence of leukemia in two mice on 50 days after transplantation. It was concluded that tranplantation with polarized Th2 cells could relieve GVHD, and at the same time retain the GVL effect.