Abstract
Hypoxia can modulate the immune system by affecting the function and activity of immune cells, potentially leading to altered immune responses. This study investigated the generation of leukemia-derived dendritic cells (DC(leu)) from leukemic blasts and their impact on immune cell activation under hypoxic (5-10% O(2)) compared to normoxic (21% O(2)) conditions using various immunomodulatory Kits. The results revealed that DC/DC(leu)-generation was similar under hypoxic and normoxic conditions, with no significant differences observed in frequencies of generated DC/DC(leu). Furthermore, the study showed that the activation of immune cells and their anti-leukemic activity improved when T cell-enriched immunoreactive cells were co-cultured with DC/DC(leu) which were generated with Kit I and M compared to the control after mixed lymphocyte cultures. The anti-leukemic activity was improved under hypoxic compared to normoxic conditions after MLC(WB-DC Kit M). These findings suggest that DC/DC(leu)-cultures of leukemic whole blood with Kits under hypoxic conditions yield comparable frequencies of DC/DC(leu) and can even increase the anti-leukemic activity compared to normoxic conditions. Overall, this research highlights the potential of utilizing DC/DC(leu) (potentially induced in vivo with Kits) as a promising approach to enhance immune response in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.