Fig. 2

Ex vivo CIK cell expansion upon MPA- and viability with and without MPA/CsA treatment. a Proliferation capacity of CIK cells in the presence and absence of MPA for the indicated time-points. Intermediate- (3 days) and long-term (7 days) MPA treatment resulted in an impaired proliferation capacity of CIK cells (p < 0.01), whereas short-term (24 h) MPA exposure had only marginal effect on CIK cell expansion. The most prominent reduction in expansion was seen for NK-like T cells following long-term MPA exposure (p < 0.01). b Short-term MPA incubation had no or only marginal effect on CIK cell viability. In contrast, intermediate- and long-term MPA treatment resulted in a significantly reduced CIK cell viability (p < 0.01; n = 6 independent experiments). CsA treatment had no effect on CIK cell viability (n = 4 independent experiments)