Interleukin-1 producing ability of leukaemia cells and its relationship to morphological diagnosis

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a low molecular weight polypeptide produced by monocyte-macrophage lineage cells. IL-1 production by primary-cultured leukaemic cells of several FAB subtypes was estimated and compared with in vitro and in vivo lysozyme production. The results indicate that IL-1 production by monocytic leukaemia cells (M4 and M5) is significantly higher than that of myelocytic leukaemia cells (M1, M2 and M3). On the other hand, the serum lysozyme level was not correlated with the FAB subtypes and in vitro lysozyme production by monocytic leukaemia cells was higher than that of myelocytic leukaemia cells, but the M2 subtype was indistinguishable from monocytic leukaemia cells solely on the basis of lysozyme production. We concluded that measurement of IL-1 production by leukaemic cells, as a marker of monocytic leukaemias, was convenient and reliable, and might be useful for the diagnosis of morphologically or cytochemically atypical cases.