Functional inactivation of lymphocytes by methylene blue with visible light

Transfusion of allogeneic white blood cells (WBCs) may cause adverse reactions in immunocompromised recipients, including transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD), which is often fatal and incurable. In this study, the in vitro effect of methylene blue with visible light (MB + L) treatment on lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production was measured to investigate whether MB + L can be used to prevent immune reactions that result from transfused lymphocytes. WBCs and 3 μM of MB were mixed and transferred into medical PVC bags, which were then exposed to visible light. Gamma irradiation was conducted as a parallel positive control. The cells without treatment were used as untreated group. All the groups were tested for the ability of cell proliferation and cytokine production upon stimulation. After incubation with mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or plate-bound anti-CD3 plus anti-CD28, the proliferation of MB + L/gamma-irradiation treated lymphocytes was significantly inhibited (P < 0.01) as compared to the untreated ones; the proliferation inhibitive rate of the MB + L group was even higher than that of gamma-irradiated cells (73.77% ± 28.75% vs. 44.72% ± 38.20%). MB + L treated cells incubated up to 7 days with PHA also showed no significant proliferation. The levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-1β present in the supernatant of MB + L treated lymphocytes upon stimulation were significantly lower than those of untreated lymphocytes. These results demonstrated that MB + L treatment functionally and irreversibly inactivated lymphocytes by inhibiting lymphocyte proliferation and the production of cytokines. MB + L treatment might be a promising method for the prevention of adverse immune responses caused by WBCs.