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Evaluation of gene expression in human lymphocytes activated in the presence of melatonin

Enrica Capelli1, Ilaria Campo, Simona Panelli

  • 1Dipartimento di Genetica e Microbiologia, Università di Pavia, Italy. Capelli@ipvgen.unipv.it

International Immunopharmacology
|August 22, 2002
PubMed

The effect of melatonin on the expression of genes previously correlated to T lymphocyte activation (HLA-DRB, thymosin beta 10 (beta-Tim)) and to Lymphokine Activated Killer (LAK) activity (beta-Tim, Tumour Rejection Antigen (TRA 1), nRap 2) was investigated in phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated human lymphocyte cultures. The aim was to find an enhancing effect of this substance on anti-tumoral immune defences as suggested by studies on tumour progression in mice and clinical immunotherapy trials in humans. mRNA obtained from melatonin-treated and -untreated PHA-stimulated lymphocytes was retrotranscribed and amplified by RT-PCR using primers based on the sequences of the selected genes. The results suggest that melatonin does not increase T and LAK cell responses: in fact, a reduction in the transcription of all the considered genes was observed. These data are correlated with the antiproliferative effect of melatonin observed in in vitro treated lymphocytes.

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