Humoral factors of immunity and the mononuclear cell responses to fetoproteins in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

The content of cytokines, the levels of antibodies (Ab) to proinflammatory cytokines and fetoproteins (FP) in serum, as well as the effects of fitohemagglutinin and FP on the level of cell production of cytokines into the conditioned medium were studied in relation to the pattern of a response of mononuclear cells (MNC) to FP. With the positive reaction of MNC to FP, estimated by an increment of CD9* cells and detectable in grades 2-3 dysplasias, the anti-inflammatory effect with lower anti-inflammatory cytokines was shown to be achieved due to elevated Ab levels, which may compensate for the low content of IL-4 and IL-10. With FP, there was an increase in the cell production of IL-10 that is known to stimulate antibody formation in the early phase of tumor growth, as evidenced by the association of the levels of Ab to FP with the grade of dysplasia.