Cytokine-induced killer cells: A novel treatment for allergic airway inflammation

The effectiveness of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells for treatment of cancers has long been appreciated. Here, we report for the first time that CIK cells can be applied to treat allergic airway inflammation. Adopting from an established protocol with some modifications, we generated CIK cells ex vivo from mouse T cells, and examined their effectiveness in treatment of allergic airway inflammation using the ovalbumin-induced model of allergic airway inflammation. Based upon evaluation of bronchoalveolar lavage cellularity, T helper type2 cytokine levels and lung histology, all of which are important parameters for determining the severity of allergic airway inflammation, diseased mice treated with CIK cells showed significant reductions in all the parameters without any obvious adverse effects. Interestingly, the observed effects were comparable to those treated with dexamethasone. Thus, our study provides a novel application of CIK cells in treatment of allergic airway inflammation.

细胞因子诱导的杀伤（cytokine-induced killer, CIK）细胞用于癌症治疗的有效性早已得到学界广泛认可。本研究首次报道，CIK细胞可应用于变应性气道炎症的治疗。我们在既定实验方案基础上进行部分修改，从小鼠T细胞中体外制备CIK细胞，并通过卵清蛋白诱导的变应性气道炎症模型，评估其治疗该疾病的有效性。基于支气管肺泡灌洗液细胞计数、辅助性T细胞2型（T helper type2, Th2）细胞因子水平以及肺部组织病理学这三项判定变应性气道炎症严重程度的关键指标，经CIK细胞治疗的患病小鼠，所有指标均出现显著降低，且未观察到明显不良反应。值得注意的是，该治疗效果与地塞米松治疗组相当。综上，本研究为CIK细胞治疗变应性气道炎症提供了全新的应用方向。