Immunotherapy in Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: Innate,adaptive and targeted immunological strategies

Since the clinical introduction of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies into lymphoma treatment, immunologic approaches in lymphoma have made substantial progress. Advances in our understanding of tumor immunology have led to the development of strategies to overcome immunologic barriers responsible for an ineffective immune response. Specifically, therapeutic agents have been developed and tested against molecules that are responsible for T-cell exhaustion. The use of monoclonal antibodies against immune checkpoints in the adaptive immune system, such as programmed cell death-1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4, has changed the landscape of cancer therapy including the treatment of lymphoma. This achievement has recently been accompanied by the development of novel immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the innate immune system, including the CD47-SIRPα signaling pathway, and this approach has yielded promising results. To overcome impaired antigen presentation, antibody-based cytotoxic strategies, namely antibody-drug conjugates (polatuzumab vedotin and brentuximab vedotin) and bispecific T-cell or NK-cell engagers (blinatumomab, REGN1979, RG6206, and AFM13), have rapidly evolved with promising clinical activity. As additional tools become available for lymphoma treatment, formulation of safe, rational combination strategies to combine them with standard therapy will be of paramount importance. A successful approach to the treatment of lymphoma may require both an optimized anti-tumor immune response as well as effective depletion of malignant lymphoid cells.     

Isolation of isoguanosine fromCroton tiglium and its antitumor activity

This paper describes the isolation of isoguanosine from Croton tiglium L. and its cytotoxic effect against several tumor cell lines in culture and newly reports that isoguanosine has an antitumor activity against implanted S-180 ascitic tumor mice. Isoguanosine is effective at the dose of 24 mg/kg/day x 5, with T/C value of 168%. Isoguanosine inhibits the growth of S-180 and Ehrlich solid tumor in mice at the optimal doses of 96 mg/kg/day x 12 and 48 mg/kg/day x 12, with 1-T/C values of 65% and 60%, respectively.     

Anti-Tumor Activity of Four Ayurvedic Herbs in Dalton Lymphoma Ascites Bearing Mice and Their Short-Term In Vitro Cytotoxicity on DLA-Cell-Line

The anti-tumor activity and chemopreventive potential of four Ayurvedic herbs viz. Curcuma longa L., Ocimum sanctum L., Tinospora cordifolia (Wild) Miers ex Hook.f & Thomas and Zizyphus mauritiana Lam. were evaluated using Dalton Lymphoma ascites (DLA) tumor model in Swiss Albino mice. The outcome was assessed using survival time, peritoneal ascitic fluid (Tumor volume) and hematological indices as parameters. Animals were divided into five groups (n = 6) viz. one DLA control and four Herb + DLA treated groups. All the four herb + DLA groups were pre-treated with respective herbs for 7 days and hematological indices were measured for entire five groups. On day-8 animals were inoculated with 1×10⁶ DLA cells i.p., and Herb + DLA groups were continued with oral herbal treatment for 21-days. Hematological parameters and tumor volume were assessed to find the effects of herbs. Short term in vitro cytotoxicity was determined by Trypan Blue exclusion method and LDH leakage assay using different concentrations of herbal extracts and 5-FU as a positive control and IC₅₀ for each herbal extract and 5-FU were determined. Oral administration of crude herb increased the survival time and decreased the peritoneal ascitic fluid content significantly. Hb, RBCs and total WBC which were altered by DLA inoculation were restored significantly by all the herbs except O. sanctum. All the four herbs showed in vitro cytotoxic activity against DLA cell-line. Moreover inter group comparison of all the four herbs for anti-tumor activity showed efficacy in the following order- T. cordifolia > Z. mauritiana ≥ C. longa > O. sanctum respectively.     

Long-Term Follow-Up of the Changes in Circulating Cytokines, Soluble Cytokine Receptors, and White Blood Cell Subset Counts in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) After Monoclonal Anti-TNFα Antibody Therapy

To investigate the mechanism of the long-lasting efficacy of chimeric monoclonal anti-TNF antibody (cA2) therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), eight patients with refractory RA were treated with a single infusion of cA2 and the changes in circulating cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, TNF, and IL-10), soluble cytokine receptors (TNF-RI, RII, and sIL-6R) and peripheral white blood cell (WBC) subset counts were followed up long-term (12 weeks) after cA2 therapy in them. Significant clinical responses (>20% improvement according to Paulus' criteria) were observed just after cA2 infusion and lasted more than 4 weeks in all patients, as reported elsewhere. Moreover, five of the eight patients showed prolonged clinical responses (>12 weeks). The elevated serum IL-6 and sTNF-RI (or RII) levels before treatment rapidly decreased after treatment. The serum IL-10 levels also significantly elevated before treatment. The elevations of serum IL-10 levels were augmented after treatment and stayed higher than the baseline in four patients with prolonged clinical responses. No significant TNF, IL-1 and -, or sIL-6R were detected in the sera of the patients before treatment and during the whole study period. On the other hand, peripheral lymphocytes as well as total WBC and neutrophils increased for 4 weeks after treatment. However, thereafter, only the lymphocyte count decreased gradually and stayed below the baseline long-term (12 weeks). FACS analysis revealed the predominance of T lymphocytes in the decrease in lymphocyte counts. These results suggest that the augmentation of IL-10 production and the decrease in T cells might partly contribute to the long-lasting efficacy of cA2 treatment in RA.     

重组人IL-18在大肠杆菌中的表达及其抗肿瘤作用

目的：获取rhIL-18原核表达产物并研究其活性。方法：用本室构建的含基因重组表达载体PBV220-IL-18的大肠杆菌DHSot，经42℃热诱导表达和包涵体提取纯化后获取rhIL-18蛋白；采用ELISA试剂盒检测rhIL-18刺激PBMC分泌IFN-γ的活性及MTT法检测其对NK细胞杀伤K562细胞自然杀伤活性；同时用荷瘤小鼠模型检测其体内抗瘤功能。结果：诱导含重组表达载体PBV220-IL-18的大肠杆菌D145ct后，蛋白电泳显示出一条相对分子量（Mτ）为18000的蛋白条带；10μg rhIL-18蛋白体外刺激PBMC后，其分泌IFN-γ的能力与对照组相比提高了8倍，细胞毒性提高3倍；同时rhIL-18蛋白能明显抑制肿瘤生长和延长荷瘤鼠生存期。结论：获得了有免疫调节功能和抗肿瘤活性的rhIL-18蛋白。为今后IL-18重组产物的研制和开展肿瘤的生物治疗提供了实验依据。     

Melanosomes and MHC class II antigen-processing compartments

Melanosomes are specialized intracellular compartments within melanocytes and retinal pigment epithelial cells that function in the synthesis, storage, and secretion of melanins, which are the major pigments made by mammals. The mechanisms that regulate the formation of melanosomes, and the pathways by which constituent proteins are targeted to them, are related to those involved in the biogenesis of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen-processing compartments. Consequently, diseases that affect pigmentation may also affect antigen presentation to T cells. Moreover, many of the tissue-specific proteins that localize to melanosomes and participate in melanin formation double as tumor-associated antigens that are targets for T cells in patients with melanoma. Our studies on melanosome biogenesis are providing new ways of thinking about antigen-processing compartments and the mechanisms regulating presentation of tumor-associated antigens.     

黄芪皂苷对不同类型乳腺癌细胞的作用效应及机制研究

目的：研究中药黄芪皂苷对不同类型乳腺癌细胞的作用效应及对胞内miRNA-155表达的影响,探讨其发挥效应可能的途径,为阐明中药的抗肿瘤作用机制和其临床应用的推广提供理论依据。方法：选择代表不同类型的乳腺癌细胞系MCF-7,MDA-MB-231和T-47D,选取对数生长期的细胞随机分为对照组和加药组,在加药组中加入不同浓度的黄芪皂苷溶液（终浓度0 μg/mL、12.5 μg/mL、25 μg/mL、50 μg/mL、100 μg/mL）,绘制细胞生长曲线并检测细胞克隆形成情况,并用流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡,使用qRT-PCR测定FOX3a、SOCS1的mRNA表达水平。结果：黄芪皂苷在体外能抑制3种乳腺癌细胞系的生长和增殖,并且诱导乳腺癌细胞凋亡,但作用效应不尽相同。对T-47D的作用最强并且呈剂量依赖型,对MDA-MB-231和MCF-7的作用稍弱并呈时间-剂量依赖型。黄芪皂苷能使MCF-7和T-47D中的FOX3a、SOCS1表达降低,而MDA-MB-231中FOX3a,SOCS1升高。结论：黄芪皂苷对乳腺癌有抑制增殖、诱导凋亡的作用,并且对不同的细胞类型作用效应不同。在MCF-7和T-47D中,黄芪皂苷通过活化JAK-STAT-SOCS和INS/IGF-1信号通路中的分子FOX3a,SOCS1来发挥效应,而在MDA-MB-231中则不然,其作用的准确途径和机制尚需进一步地深入研究。     

古草生机汤对H22荷瘤小鼠体内抑瘤及免疫调节作用的初步研究

目的：探究古草生机汤对H22荷瘤小鼠体内实体瘤的抑瘤功效和对机体的免疫调节作用机制。方法：本研究采用H22实体瘤动物模型,随机分为空白组、模型组、阳性药组、古草生机汤低、高剂量组,灌胃给药7 d,计算各组小鼠的体质量增长率、肿瘤抑制率、胸腺及脾指数,小鼠实体瘤病理切片苏木精-伊红（HE）染色观察瘤体组织和细胞形态,酶联免疫吸附试验法检测小鼠血清中γ干扰素（IFN-γ）、肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)、白细胞介素-2（IL-2）、Fas、Fas配体、天门冬氨酸氨基转移酶（AST）、丙氨酸氨基转移酶（ALT）的含量,实时荧光定量PCR测量小鼠瘤组织中Bax和Bcl-2mRNA的相对表达量。结果：古草生机汤有促进H22荷瘤小鼠体质量增长、抑制体内实体瘤增长和促进肿瘤凋亡坏死的作用,可提高小鼠的胸腺指数同时降低脾脏指数,可显著提高小鼠血清中IFN-γ、TNF-α、IL-2的含量并降低Fas、Fas配体、AST、ALT的含量（均P<0.01）,能够上调小鼠瘤组织中Bax mRNA的表达并下调Bcl-2mRNA的表达。结论：古草生机汤具有明显的体内抗肝肿瘤药效,在抑制肿瘤生长、促进肿瘤细胞凋亡、调节机体免疫方面有一定作用。     

苏木的药理作用及临床应用研究进展

苏木是常用的具有活血疗伤、祛瘀通经功效的中药材。近年来研究发现,苏木药理作用多样,具有抗炎、免疫抑制、抗肿瘤、抗氧化等作用。苏木在糖尿病并发症、心血管疾病、伤科疾病等疾病治疗方面应用广泛,临床前景广阔。现对苏木的药理作用和临床应用文献进行收集整理,以期为深入开展研究和临床开发应用提供参考。     

HSP110及其免疫佐剂效应的研究进展

热休克蛋白（HSP）是一类在生物进化中高度保守、广泛存在于原核和真核生物中的蛋白质。大量资料表明，HSP作为分子伴侣，参与其它蛋白质的折叠、转运、合成等过程，并可与细胞内的其它蛋白质结合，参与细胞的抗损伤、修复和热耐受过程，某些热休克蛋白还具有佐剂效应，能够激活免疫应答反应，以往对于HSP70及其免疫治疗的研究较为广泛。近年来随着对热休克蛋白研究的不断深入，人们发现高分子量的HSP110因其强大的分子伴侣功能而具备独特的佐剂效应，因而被认为在瘤苗制备及抗肿瘤免疫中具有很大的应用前景。