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BETA-THALASSEMIA MAJOR: PLASMA CYTOKINE (IL-3, IL-7) CONCENTRATIONS REGULATING IMMUNE RESPONSE AND ERYTHROPOIESIS

CANAN VERGİN, NECİL KÜTÜKÇÜLER, KAAN KAVAKLI, NAZAN ÇETİNGÜL, ŞENAY ÖZTOP, GÜNGÖR NİŞLİ, SUAT ÇAĞLAYAN

Turkish Journal of Hematology - 1997;14(3):97-100

Ege University, Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, İzmir, Turkey

 

Plasma levels of IL-3 and IL-7 were studied in 23 patients with hornozygous beta-thalassemia in order to determine whether these cytokines involved in previously defined abnormalities in erythropoiesis and immune response for this disease. No significant difference was found in plasma IL-7 concentrations between thalassemic patients and healthy controls and it was suggested that IL-7 is not involved in cellular immunological alterations in beta-thalassemia. However, the number of thalassemic patients with detectable IL-3 concentrations was significantly higher. The data related with HbF and IL-3 showed a positive correlation and three of the patients had the highest levels of both IL-3 and HbF. It was concluded that IL-3 production has to be studied in detail in order to learn more about the involvement of this cytokine in erythropoiesis of thalassemic patients.