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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
08:17
Flow Cytometry-based Assay for the Monitoring of NK Cell Functions
Published on: October 30, 2016
[The effect of serum on NK cell activity]
Glas. Srpska Akademija Nauka I Umetnosti. Odeljenje Medicinskih Nauka
|January 1, 1991
Summary
Natural killer (NK) cell activity is reduced in breast cancer patients. Autologous serum from advanced breast cancer patients inhibits NK cell activity more than early-stage or healthy controls.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- Cellular Immunology
Context:
- Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in immunosurveillance against tumor development and spread.
- Assessing NK cell activity is a significant immunological parameter for patients with malignant diseases.
- Breast cancer patients exhibit significantly lower basic NK cell activity compared to healthy individuals.
Purpose:
- To investigate the influence of autologous serum on the NK cell activity of breast cancer patients.
- To compare the effects of healthy serum and autologous serum from early-stage and advanced breast cancer patients on NK cell activity in vitro.
- To explore the potential of monitoring NK cell activity after incubation with autologous serum for improved in vivo assessment and understanding serum-induced modulation.
Summary:
- In vitro cultivation of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from breast cancer patients showed that both healthy serum and early-stage autologous serum exhibited similar inhibitory effects on NK cell activity compared to fetal calf serum (FCS).
- Serum from advanced breast cancer patients demonstrated a greater inhibitory effect on NK cell activity.
- Incubation of healthy control PBL with autologous healthy serum showed a slightly greater inhibitory effect than with early-stage breast cancer patient serum.
Impact:
- Monitoring NK cell activity following incubation with autologous serum may offer a more accurate assessment of in vivo NK cell function in breast cancer patients.
- This approach could facilitate investigations into the factors responsible for serum-induced modulation of NK cell activity.
- Findings contribute to understanding the complex interplay between serum factors and immune cell function in cancer.
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