The efficacy of combined immunotherapy with Propes and Inflamafertin in adult patients with genetic deficiency of the folate cycle and selective deficiency of NK and NKT cells

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of combination immunotherapy with Propes and Inflamafertin in GDFC adults with natural killer (NK) and/or natural killer T-lymphocyte (NKT) cell deficiency. This single-centre, retrospective, controlled, non-randomized clinical trial analysed medical records of 212 adult GDFC patients aged 19–50 years (study group [SG]). SG received Propes at a dose of 2 ml intramuscularly every other day at night for three consecutive months and Inflamafertin at a dose of 2 ml IM every other day at night for three consecutive months in rotation with Propes. The control group involved 34 patients with GDFC who followed the same age and gender distribution pattern but did not receive immunotherapy. The number of NK cells reached the lower limit of normal in 95 out of 131 patients (72% of cases) with baseline deficiency of these lymphocytes. The average number of NK cells in the blood of SG patients almost doubled during the 3-month course of immunotherapy (P ˂ 0.05; Z ˂ Z0.05). However, it almost returned to initial levels 2 months following the discontinuation of the immunotherapeutic agents (P ˃ 0.05; Z ˃ Z0.05). Combination immunotherapy with Propes and Inflamafertin is an effective strategy for the treatment of immunodeficiency caused by GDFC in adult patients.