Natural killer (NK) cells with HNK-1 phenotype in the cervical biopsies of women followed-up for human papillomavirus (HPV) lesions.

Local immunocompetent cell infiltrates in 263 cervical punch biopsies of women followed-up since 1981 (16 +/- 14 months, M +/- SD) for an established Human papillomavirus (HPV) lesion with or without concomitant cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) were analysed for presence of human natural killer (NK) cells, defined by the monoclonal antibody HNK-1 (Leu-7) using the avidin-biotin peroxidase complex (ABC) technique. HNK-1+ cells remained at a constant low level (1.8 to 3.0% of the cells) in the different types of HPV lesions (flat, inverted, or papillomatous condylomas), their percentages (range 1.3 to 2.5% of cells) remaining similarly unaffected by the severity of associated CIN. As shown to be the case with human NK cell function in the peripheral blood, the percentages of local HNK-1+ cells did not evidence any age-dependence. Furthermore, the intensity of the infiltrate did not correlate with the relative levels of HNK-1+ cells in the biopsies. Slightly (but not significantly) higher levels (2.5%) of HNK-1+ cells were found in the first biopsies of the HPV lesions found to regress during the follow-up period (28.8% of cases), when compared with those (1.7% and 1.8%, respectively) in persisting lesions (52.1% of cases) or progressing lesions (19.1% of lesions). The results are discussed in terms of the proposed immune surveillance function of human NK cells in malignant growths, and the conclusion is drawn that the present study does not provide any firm evidence to suggest that local NK cell function would contribute significantly to the clinical behavior of the cervical HPV lesions.