Effects of cyclosporine on human B-cell lymphoma development in vivo

Cyclosporine (CsA) is a potent immunosuppressive agent primarily affecting T-lymphocyte function. Patients receive CsA following organ transplantation to prevent rejection. These patients are at high risk for developing Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced lymphoproliferative disease (LPD) or B-cell lymphoma (BCL). Severe Combined Immunodeficient (SCID) mice reconstituted with human peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) develop fatal B-cell lymphomas of human origin following latent or active infection with EBV. This model was utilized to determine the role of CsA in the development of human BCL. SCID mice were reconstituted with PBL, latently or actively infected with EBV, and treated with CsA. Following active EBV infection, mice developed human BCL with or without CsA treatment. In contrast, treatment with CsA prevented the development of BCL in mice latently infected with EBV. This suggests a T-cell interaction with latently infected B-cells which is perturbed by CsA. Further understanding of this interaction and the occurrence of human BCL may allow the development of strategies to prevent, detect, or treat malignancies associated with immunosuppression.