Differential effect of azidothymidine on resting and activated cells: potentiality of this drug for treatment of post-transfusion graft-versus-host disease
Nishimura, M.; Hidaka, N.; Akaza, T.; Tadokoro, K.; Juji, T.
Research Communications in Molecular Pathology and Pharmacology 100(2): 131-138
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 1078-0297 PMID: 9667067 Document Number: 497114
The key factor for the treatment of post-transfusion graft-versus-host disease (PT-GVHD) is the successful eradication of donor-derived cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) which are thought to be a main cause of the disease, with no effects on either peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) or tissues of the recipient. In this study, we examined the effect of azidothymidine (AZT: Zidovudine) on resting PBMCs and cultured fibroblast cells which are assumed to be patient cells, and alloreactive CD8(+)-CTL clones which are imagined to be donor-derived activated CTLs, in vitro. We show here that AZT has no effect on resting PBMCs and cultured fibroblast cells, but greatly inhibited the growth of CTL clones.