Hozawa S, Ishioka S, Yanagida J, Takaishi M, Matsuzaka S, Ohsaki M, Yamakido M
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Hiroshima University School of Medicine, Japan.
Cancer Immunol Immunother. 1989;30(3):190-4. doi: 10.1007/BF01669429.
The former workers at the Okunojima poison gas factory (poison gas workers) are a high-risk group for malignant neoplasms and show abnormalities in cellular immunity. At the same time, poison gas workers often have chronic respiratory diseases, such as chronic bronchitis, and are highly susceptible to respiratory infections. To explore the possibility of immunological cancer prevention, we have periodically administered 200 micrograms Nocardia rubra cell-wall skeleton (N-CWS) to poison gas workers once every 3 months since December 1978. During this period, we noted a significantly lower incidence of influenza among poison gas workers receiving N-CWS than in those not receiving the drug during the influenza epidemic. This finding suggested that the administration of N-CWS enhanced the resistance of these workers to infections. Therefore, periodical administration of N-CWS to poison gas workers was considered to enhance the reduced T-cell function of normalizing antibody production by stimulating the production of B-cell-stimulatory factor (BSF). In the present study, to clarify the mechanism of immunosuppression in the poison gas workers and to examine the effects of continual administration of N-CWS on this condition, we compared the immunoglobulin production and the proliferative and differentiative activities of B-cell-stimulatory factor (BSF) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), in poison gas workers treated or not treated with N-CWS. Comparisons were also made with age-matched healthy controls. In the untreated poison gas workers, immunoglobulin and BSF production of PBMC were reduced as compared with the control group. On the other hand, in the poison gas workers receiving N-CWS, immunoglobulin and BSF production of PBMC were restored nearly to the control level. These results show that in vitro antibody production in the poison gas workers was reduced and that a reduction in BSF production of T cells was one of its causes.
大久野岛毒气工厂的 former 工人（毒气工人）是恶性肿瘤的高危人群，且细胞免疫存在异常。同时，毒气工人常患有慢性呼吸道疾病，如慢性支气管炎，极易发生呼吸道感染。为探究免疫预防癌症的可能性，自1978年12月起，我们每3个月定期给毒气工人注射200微克红色诺卡氏菌细胞壁骨架（N-CWS）。在此期间，我们注意到在流感流行期间，接受N-CWS的毒气工人患流感的发生率明显低于未接受该药物的工人。这一发现表明，注射N-CWS增强了这些工人对感染的抵抗力。因此，定期给毒气工人注射N-CWS被认为可通过刺激B细胞刺激因子（BSF）的产生来增强降低的T细胞功能，从而使抗体产生正常化。在本研究中，为阐明毒气工人免疫抑制的机制，并研究持续注射N-CWS对这种情况的影响，我们比较了接受或未接受N-CWS治疗的毒气工人外周血单个核细胞（PBMC）的免疫球蛋白产生以及B细胞刺激因子（BSF）的增殖和分化活性。还与年龄匹配的健康对照进行了比较。在未接受治疗的毒气工人中，PBMC的免疫球蛋白和BSF产生与对照组相比有所降低。另一方面，在接受N-CWS的毒气工人中，PBMC的免疫球蛋白和BSF产生几乎恢复到对照水平。这些结果表明，毒气工人的体外抗体产生减少，T细胞BSF产生减少是其原因之一。
