Naturally occurring and therapy-induced antibodies to human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in human serum

• Published in: Journal of cellular physiology Vol. 173; no. 2; pp. 219 - 226
• Main Authors: Laricchia-Robbio, Leopoldo, Moscato, Stefania, Genua, Angelo, Liberati, Anna Marina, Revoltella, Roberto P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.11.1997
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antibodies - analysis; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Female; Fetal Blood - immunology; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor - immunology; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor - therapeutic use; Hodgkin Disease - drug therapy; Hodgkin Disease - immunology; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - analysis; Immunoglobulin M - analysis; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin - drug therapy; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin - immunology; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin - pathology; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Myeloma - drug therapy; Multiple Myeloma - immunology; Recombinant Proteins - therapeutic use; Reference Values
• ISSN: 0021-9541; 1097-4652
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4652(199711)173:2<219::AID-JCP25>3.0.CO;2-9

Sera were obtained from two groups of patients. Group A included 7 patients with low‐grade non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with three or more cycles of standard‐dose chemotherapy and recombinant human granulocyte‐colony stimulating factor (rhG‐CSF). The cytokine was administered to half the patients after the first chemotherapy cycle and to the other half after the second according to a randomized design and then to all patients from the third chemotherapy cycle on, until documented hemopoietic reconstitution. Group B included 3 patients with high‐grade non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma, 1 patient with resistant Hodgkin's disease, and 1 patient with multiple myeloma who received high‐dose chemotherapy and rhG‐CSF. Anti‐G‐CSF antibodies were detected in the sera of 4 patients. Both immunoglobulin IgM and IgG antibodies were detected at low levels in pretreatment sera from one group A patient. IgG antibody titers increased markedly during the first and second periods of G‐CSF administration. IgG class antibodies developed in 3 group B patients during the first course of rhG‐CSF administration. Circulating anti‐G‐CSF antibodies did not seem to affect hematological recovery. Low levels of anti‐G‐CSF antibodies were also detected in sera (15/135) from different healthy adults and in sera (5/40) from umbilical cord blood. Saturable antibody binding and competition enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting confirmed antibody specificity. J. Cell. Physiol. 173:219–226, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.