Kinetics of IL-7 and IL-15 levels after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation following nonmyeloablative conditioning

PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e55876. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055876. Epub 2013 Feb 21.

Abstract

Background: We analysed kinetics of IL-7 and IL-15 levels in 70 patients given peripheral blood stem cells after nonmyeloablative conditioning.

Methods: EDTA-anticoagulated plasma and serum samples were obtained before conditioning and about once per week after transplantation until day 100. Samples were aliquoted and stored at -80°C within 3 hours after collection until measurement of cytokines. IL-7 and IL-15 levels were measured by ELISAs.

Results: Median IL-7 plasma levels remained below 6 pg/L throughout the first 100 days, although IL-7 plasma levels were significantly higher on days 7 (5.1 pg/mL, P=0.002), 14 (5.2 pg/mL, P<0.001), and 28 (5.1 pg/mL, P=0.03) (but not thereafter) than before transplantation (median value of 3.8 pg/mL). Median IL-15 serum levels were significantly higher on days 7 (12.5 pg/mL, P<0.001), 14 (10.5 pg/mL, P<0.001), and 28 (6.2 pg/mL, P<0.001) than before transplantation (median value of 2.4 pg/mL). Importantly, IL-7 and IL-15 levels on days 7 or 14 after transplantation did not predict grade II-IV acute GVHD.

Conclusions: These data suggest that IL-7 and IL-15 levels remain relatively low after nonmyeloablative transplantation, and that IL-7 and IL-15 levels early after nonmyeloablative transplantation do not predict for acute GVHD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Bone Marrow / pathology*
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Graft vs Host Disease / blood
  • Graft vs Host Disease / epidemiology
  • Graft vs Host Disease / immunology
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Interleukin-15 / blood*
  • Interleukin-7 / blood*
  • Kinetics
  • Lymphocyte Count
  • Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Recurrence
  • Transplantation Conditioning*
  • Transplantation, Homologous
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • IL15 protein, human
  • IL7 protein, human
  • Interleukin-15
  • Interleukin-7

Grants and funding

The study was in part supported by funds from the FNRS (http://www2.frs-fnrs.be/), the Belgian Foundation against Cancer (FBC) (http://www.cancer.be/), the anti-cancer (http://www.cac.ulg.ac.be/) and the Leon Fredericq foundations (http://www.fondsleonfredericq.be/) from the ULg, the CHU of Liège, and by the Terry Fox foundation (http://www.terryfox.org/). MdB and MH are Télévie Research Fellows, and MPM and FB are Senior Research Associates at the National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) Belgium. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.