Interferon and prostaglandins: effects on human natural and lectin-induced cytotoxicity

Effects of interferons (IFN) and E-series prostaglandins (PGE) were evaluated on subpopulations of human peripheral blood mononuclear lymphocytes (PBL) that mediate natural killer (NK) activity, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), or lectin-induced cellular cytotoxicity (LICC). When PBL were separated into subpopulations depending on the presence or absence of receptors for sheep erythrocytes (E+ or E-, respectively) or for the Fc gamma receptor (Fc gamma R+ or Fc gamma R-, respectively), LICC was mainly associated with the E+Fc gamma R- cells and to a considerably lesser extent with E+Fc gamma R+ cells. In contrast, NK activity and ADCC were associated with the E+ and E- subpopulations that had Fc gamma R. IFN treatment had stronger effects on the Fc gamma R+ subpopulations. Boosting of LICC occurred maximally in the E+Fc gamma R+ subpopulation, and the activity of the E+Fc gamma R- cells increased only modestly. IFN had a greater augmenting effect on the NK activity and ADCC of E+Fc gamma R+ cells than on E-Fc gamma R+ cells. PGE strongly inhibited all three types of cell-mediated cytotoxicity and was effective on IFN-boosted cells as well as on untreated cells.