Tumor cytotoxicity of peritoneal macrophages and peripheral blood monocytes from patients with ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancer

Abstract. Wilbanks D, Ahn M-C, Beck DA, Braun DP. Tumor cytotoxicity of peritoneal macrophages and peripheral blood monocytes from patients with ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancer.
The purpose of this study was to compare the cytotoxic capacity of peritoneal macrophages (PM) and peripheral blood monocytes (PBM) from patients with ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancers after in vitro activation with gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Peritoneal macrophages were obtained from ascites or peritoneal washings and peripheral blood monocytes via peripheral venipuncture from 58 patients: 17 with ovarian, 19 with endometrial, and 10 with cervical cancers. PBM and PM from 12 patients with nonmalignant gynecologic conditions served as controls. Cytotoxicity was assessed by the ability of PBM and PM to lyze Cr⁵¹-labeled Chang hepatoma cells. Activated peripheral blood monocytes of ovarian and endometrial cancer patients and peritoneal macrophages from ovarian cancer patients were significantly more cytotoxic than those from nonactivated controls. Activated PBM and PM from cervical cancer and PM from endometrial cancer did not demonstrate increased cytotoxicity compared to nonactivated controls. There was no significant correlation of the cytotoxicity with grade, stage, differentiation or age of the cancers. These in vitro data would suggest that ovarian cancer and possibly endometrial cancer should receive further evaluation and consideration of cytokine-based and/or adoptive cellular immunotherapy.     

化疗后淋巴细胞减少期肿瘤疫苗免疫治疗卵巢上皮性癌的动物实验研究

目的 探索化疗后淋巴细胞减少期行免疫重建及应用GM-CSF基因修饰的卵巢上皮性癌(卵巢癌)肿瘤疫苗过继免疫治疗方案增强抗肿瘤免疫反应的机制及效果.方法 以环磷酰胺化疗引起大鼠淋巴细胞减少,并建立免疫重建大鼠模型,用活肿瘤疫苗GM-CSF/NUTU-19免疫大鼠模型,收集肿瘤疫苗免疫部位引流淋巴结,制备效应T淋巴细胞(T_E),酶联免疫吸附试验测定T_E分泌IL(白细胞介素)2、IL-4的能力,细胞内细胞因子染色法测定肿瘤特异性T_E的频数,流式细胞仪测定T_E对靶细胞的特异性细胞毒杀伤率.并将T_E过继回输给腹腔荷卵巢癌的大鼠,观察其生存期.结果 化疗-免疫重建-肿瘤疫苗免疫大鼠T_E分泌的IL-2水平增高,为(65.7±4.0)pg/ml,IL-d.分泌水平降低,为(277±49)pg/ml;细胞内细胞因子染色法结果提示,能分泌干扰素γ的CD_4~+;T淋巴细胞频数增高,为(13.0±2.1)%;T_E对靶细胞的杀伤率提高,为(86.5±1.1)%;经化疗-免疫重建-肿瘤疫苗免疫大鼠T_E过继免疫治疗的荷瘤大鼠生存期延长,平均生存时间为(110±16)d.结论 化疗-免疫重建-肿瘤疫苗免疫治疗能使肿瘤特异性T_E频数增加、功能增强,提高肿瘤特异性杀伤能力,有助于改善肿瘤特异性T_E细胞对肿瘤抗原弱刺激的反应性,增强抗肿瘤免疫反应.     

脐血来源的细胞毒性T淋巴细胞对人卵巢癌裸鼠移植瘤治疗的研究

目的研究脐血来源的细胞毒性T淋巴细胞用于卵巢癌过继免疫治疗的可行性。方法采用肿瘤细胞和淋巴细胞混合培养法获得脐血来源的细胞毒性T淋巴细胞对人卵巢癌裸鼠移植瘤进行治疗并与外周血来源淋巴因子激活的杀伤细胞相对照。结果脐血来源的细胞毒性T淋巴细胞有明显的抑瘤作用,移植物抗宿主病的发生不明显。结论脐血可作为过继免疫治疗中效应细胞来源试用于卵巢癌的治疗。     

Induction of ovarian tumor-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes by acid-eluted peptide-pulsed autologous dendritic cells

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential of dendritic cells pulsed with acid-eluted peptides derived from autologous ovarian cancer cells for eliciting a tumor-specific cytotoxic T cell response in women with advanced ovarian cancer. METHODS: CD8+ T lymphocytes derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated in vitro with autologous ovarian tumor peptide-pulsed dendritic cells were tested for their ability to induce an HLA class I-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte response against autologous tumor cells. To correlate cytotoxic activity by cytotoxic T lymphocytes with T cell phenotype, we used two-color flow cytometric analysis of surface markers and intracellular cytokine expression (interferon-gamma versus interleukin-4). RESULTS: CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses against autologous ovarian tumor cells were elicited in three consecutive women who had advanced ovarian cancer. Although cytotoxic T lymphocyte populations from all women expressed strong cytolytic activity against autologous tumor cells, they did not lyse autologous lymphoblasts or Epstein-Barr virus-transformed cell lines, and they showed negligible cytotoxicity against the natural killer-sensitive cell line K-562. Cytotoxicity against the autologous tumor cells was significantly inhibited by anti-HLA class I (W6/32) and anti-HLA-A2 (BB7-2) monoclonal antibodies. CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes expressed variable levels of CD56 and preferentially expressed interferon-gamma rather than interleukin-4. CONCLUSIONS: Peptide-pulsed dendritic cells induced specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes that killed autologous tumor cells from women with advanced ovarian cancer. This finding might contribute to the development of active or adoptive immunotherapy for residual or resistant ovarian cancer after standard surgery and cytotoxic treatment.     

In vitro induction of tumor-specific human lymphocyte antigen class I-restricted CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes by ovarian tumor antigen-pulsed autologous dendritic cells from patients with advanced ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of dendritic cells pulsed with whole-tumor extracts derived from autologous ovarian cancer cells in eliciting a tumor-specific cytotoxic T-cell response in vitro from patients with advanced ovarian cancer. STUDY DESIGN: CD8(+) T lymphocytes stimulated in vitro with autologous ovarian tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cells were tested for their ability to induce a human leukocyte antigen class I-restricted cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response able to specifically kill autologous tumor cells in standard 6-hour chromium 51 cytotoxicity assays. In addition, to correlate cytotoxic activity by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes with a particular lymphoid subset, 2-color flow cytometric analysis of intracellular cytokine expression (interferon gamma and interleukin 4) at the single-cell level was performed. RESULTS: Cytotoxic T lymphocytes specific for autologous ovarian tumor cells were elicited from 3 patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Although cytotoxic T-lymphocyte populations expressed strong cytolytic activity against autologous tumor cells, they did not lyse concanavalin A-stimulated autologous lymphocytes or autologous Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines and showed negligible cytotoxicity against the natural killer cell-sensitive cell line K-562. Cytotoxic effect against the autologous tumor cells was inhibited by an anti-human leukocyte antigen class I monoclonal antibody (W6/32). It is interesting that CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes expressed variable levels of CD56, a marker that may be associated with high cytotoxic activity. Finally, most of the tumor-specific CD8(+) T cells exhibited a T(H)1 cytokine bias, and a high percentage of interferon gamma expressors among cytotoxic T lymphocytes was correlated with higher cytotoxic activity. CONCLUSION: These data show that tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cells can consistently induce in vitro specific CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes able to kill autologous tumor cells from patients with advanced stage ovarian cancer. This novel approach may have important implications for the treatment of residual or resistant disease with active or adoptive immunotherapy after standard surgical and cytotoxic treatment.     

Tumor Lymphocytes in Patients with Advanced Ovarian Cancer: Changes duringin VitroCulture and Implications for Immunotherapy

Tumor specimens and ascites of patients with advanced ovarian cancer were utilized to obtain both primary ovarian carcinoma cell cultures and lymphocytes: tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from solid tumor tissue and tumor-associated lymphocytes (TALs) from peritoneal fluid. Tumor lymphocytes were grown in coculture with autologous tumor cells and recombinant human IL-2 (rhIL-2) for up to 4 weeks and at weekly intervals these were examined with respect to phenotype and cytotoxicity. The phenotype was studied using flow cytometry for a variety of human immunocompetent cell surface markers (CD3, CD4 CD8, CD16, CD56, TCRαβ, TCRγδ). Cytotoxicity was investigated using 4-hr⁵¹Cr-release assays with the primary ovarian carcinoma cell cultures and the K562 cell line as target cells. The tumor lymphocytes did not demonstrate any obvious trend in phenotype changes during culture, although for different cultures a large range was noted for the various lymphocyte populations studied. Cytotoxicity against both autologous and allogeneic targets declined with culture length for the majority (6/7) of the lymphocyte cell lines tested (greatest at 1 week and least at 3 weeks). These initial results indicate that anin vitronon-MHC-restricted cytotoxic function of peritoneal lymphocytes can be effectively activated with IL-2 and autologous tumor cells. However, if activated lymphocytes are to be employed as a form of immunotherapy, they should be given within the first week of culture for maximum cytotoxic effect.     

Induction of tumor-specific cytotoxicity in tumor infiltrating lymphocytes by HPV16 and HPV18 E7-pulsed autologous dendritic cells in patients with cancer of the uterine cervix

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential of autologous dendritic cells (DC) pulsed with HPV16 and HPV18 E7 oncoprotein in restoring tumor-specific cytotoxicity in populations of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) for adoptive immunotherapy of cervical cancer patients. METHODS: Full-length E7-pulsed DC-stimulated CD8(+) T cells derived from peripheral blood (PBL) and from tumor tissues (TIL) were tested and compared for their ability to induce a HLA class-I-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response against autologous tumor cells. In addition, in order to correlate cytotoxic activity by CTL with a particular lymphoid subset, analysis of surface antigens and intracellular CD3 zeta chain and two-color flow cytometric analysis of intracellular cytokine expression (IFN-gamma vs IL-4) at the single cell level were performed. RESULTS: DC stimulation induced powerful cytotoxicity against autologous tumor target cells by TIL-derived CD8(+) T cells from all three cervical cancer patients, while autologous Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines were not lysed. Killing of autologous tumor cells was higher by CD8(+) T cells from TIL compared to PBL (P > 0.01) and was more strongly inhibited by anti-HLA class I MAb (P > 0.05). Phenotypically, all CTL populations were CD3(+)/CD8(+), with higher levels of CD56 expression by TIL-derived CTL. Finally, although a marked Type 1 cytokine bias (i.e., IFN-gamma(high)/IL-4(low)) was observable in both PBL- and TIL-derived DC-stimulated CD8(+) T cell populations, TIL-derived CD8(+) T cells showed a higher percentage of IFN-gamma-positive cells compared to PBL. CONCLUSIONS: Full-length E7-pulsed DC can consistently restore strong CD8(+) CTL responses against autologous HPV16- and HPV18-infected cervical cancer cells. DC-stimulated TIL may represent a superior source of tumor-specific CTL compared to PBL for adoptive T cell immunotherapy of patients harboring metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer refractory to standard treatment modalities.     

冻融抗原致敏的树突细胞对裸鼠人卵巢癌移植瘤治疗作用的研究

目的 :研究冻融抗原致敏的树突细胞 (DC)对裸鼠人卵巢癌移植瘤的治疗作用。方法 :联合应用粒性白细胞与巨噬细胞集落刺激因子 (GM CSF)及白介素 4 (IL 4 )从正常足月产妇分娩后新生儿脐血中培养出DC ,以人卵巢癌细胞系 3AO细胞冻融抗原激活DC ,测定其诱导的细胞毒性T淋巴细胞 (CTL)对 3AO的杀伤活性 ;CTL预防性接种于裸鼠皮下 ,观察裸鼠人卵巢癌移植瘤的发生率 ,以DC激活的CTL治疗裸鼠人卵巢癌移植瘤并观察治疗效果。结果 :体外抗原冲击致敏的DC能显著刺激T淋巴细胞增殖 ,其诱导的CTL对细胞系 3AO具有显著的杀伤作用 ,在效靶比为 4 0 :1、2 0 :1、10 :1、5 :1时 72h杀伤率平均分别为 90 .1%、67.4 %、4 0 .4 %、17.8%。DC激活的CTL能预防裸鼠人卵巢癌移植瘤的发生 (预防组 16.6% ,对照组 10 0 % ,P <0 .0 0 1) ,并能抑制移植瘤生长 ,对照组、治疗组移植瘤的大小分别为 (5 .6± 1.1)cm3 、(2 .7± 0 .78)cm3 (P <0 .0 1)。结论 :人卵巢癌细胞冻融抗原体外冲击致敏的DC可作为一种抗癌疫苗在免疫治疗卵巢癌患者中发挥重要作用     

卵巢上皮性癌肿瘤浸润淋巴细胞的增殖、表型及细胞毒活性研究

目的:探讨卵巢上皮性癌肿瘤浸润淋巴细胞TIL的生物学特性。方法:用机械法和酶法消化实体瘤后,经分步低速离心行连续密度梯度法分离卵巢癌TIL,再在IL-2、PHA或OKT_3条件下培养,表型分析采用间接免疫荧光染色法,细胞毒性检测采用MTT法。结果:15份卵巢癌TIL中,得率范围106-107/g,13份TIL活化（另2份污染）,其中7份TIL经培养达治疗量（109细胞）;初分离的卵巢癌TIL处于功能抑制状态,抑制期5-15d,随着活化后体外培养,CD3、CD8、CD25（IL-2R）和 HLA-DR表达显著增多;初分离的卵巢癌TIL对K562和自体瘤细胞杀伤力均低下,随着体外培养,细胞毒性增加,对自体瘤的特异性杀伤力增加尤为显著。结论:卵巢癌TIL体外易分离及活化,特异性杀伤力较强,适于肿瘤的生物学治疗。     

Cytotoxic effects of T cells induced by fusion protein 6B11-pulsed dendritic cells on ovarian carcinoma cells

INTRODUCTION: 6B11 anti-idiotype minibody, a fusion protein, has been shown to mimic ovarian carcinoma associated antigen OC166-9. This study was designed to determine whether 6B11 anti-idiotype minibody-pulsed dendritic cells (DCs) can induce cytotoxic T cells against ovarian cancer cells. METHODS: Monocytes were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected from patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma (n=10). The monocytes-derived immature DCs were stimulated by cytokines, and mature DCs were pulsed with 6B11 anti-idiotype-minibody or murine F(ab)'2 fragments. The proliferation of autologous T cells induced by DCs was determined by 3H-thymidine uptake. The cytotoxicity of DC-activated T cells against autologous carcinoma cells was determined by 51Cr-release assay. RESULTS: Purified T cells demonstrated strong proliferation following incubation with 6B11 anti-idiotype minibody-pulsed DCs in 4 of 10 patients. The specific cytotoxicity of purified T cells against autologous carcinoma cells was induced after stimulation with 6B11 anti-idiotype minibody-pulsed DCs in 5 of 10 patients with cytotoxic effects ranging from 25 to 95%. In contrast, isotype murine F(ab)'2 fragments-pulsed DCs did not induce T cell proliferation and cytotoxicity against the targets. Additionally, the cytotoxic effect was partially inhibited by anti-MHC class-I antibody indicating that the cytotoxic effects are antigen-specific. CONCLUSION: 6B11 anti-idiotype-antibody-pulsed DCs can induce T cell proliferation and T cell-mediated cytotoxicity against autologous ovarian tumor cells in vitro. The cytotoxic effects of T cells against autologous tumor cells are antigen-specific. These data implicate the rationale for the use of 6B11 anti-idiotype minibody as immunotherapy against ovarian carcinoma.     

卵巢癌可溶性抗原和抗CD3单克隆抗体诱导细胞毒性T细胞抗人 …

探讨卵巢癌过继细胞免疫治疗瓣方法。方法 提取卵巢癌细胞可溶性抗原,用ＴＳＡ和抗ＣＤ３单克隆抗体共同诱导正常人外周血单个核细胞产生细胞毒性Ｔ细胞,用ＣＴＬ于体外杀伤ＣＯＣ１细胞和裸鼠体内抑制ＣＯＣ２ｎ移植瘤的生长,体外和淋巴因子激活杀伤细胞,淋巴因子和抗ＣＤ３单抗激活的杀伤细胞细胞进行比较,体内和ＣＤ３－ＡＫ细胞进行比较。     

白介素-28 A增加顺铂对卵巢癌细胞毒性的作用及机制研究

目的:探讨白介素-28A(IL-28A)增强顺铂对卵巢癌的细胞毒性作用及其机制.方法:实时荧光定量PCR法检测卵巢癌组织和细胞及正常卵巢上皮组织和细胞中IL-28A水平.IL-28A(100ng/ml)预处理C13K细胞24h,CCK-8和流式细胞术分别检测顺铂对C13K细胞半数抑制浓度(IC50)、细胞存活率和细胞凋...     

光动力学疗法对人卵巢癌细胞杀伤效应的研究

目的:研究光动力学疗法（PDT）对人卵巢癌细胞的杀伤效应。方法:应用MTT比色分析法分析不同的激光波长、能量和叶绿素衍生物（CPD4）浓度对人卵巢癌3AO细胞的光动力杀伤效应。结果:PDT对人卵巢癌细胞杀伤效应明显,CPD4的光动力学杀伤效应与激光能量和药物浓度呈正相关,在激光能量和药物浓度相同的情况下,绿光的光动力学杀伤效应明显强于红光。结论:光动力学疗法对人卵巢癌细胞有明显杀伤效应,且与激光能量、波长、药物浓度有关。     

High-grade, chemotherapy-resistant primary ovarian carcinoma cell lines overexpress human trophoblast cell-surface marker (Trop-2) and are highly sensitive to immunotherapy with hRS7, a humanized monoclonal anti-Trop-2 antibody

Objective.

We evaluated the expression of human trophoblast cell-surface marker (Trop-2) and the potential of hRS7, a humanized monoclonal anti-Trop-2 antibody, as a therapeutic agent against chemotherapy-resistant ovarian disease.

Methods.

Trop-2 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 50 ovarian serous papillary carcinoma specimens. Trop-2 expression was also evaluated by real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and flow cytometry in a total of 6 primary ovarian cancer cell lines derived from patients with chemotherapy-resistant disease. Sensitivity to hRS7 antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) was tested in standard 5-hour ⁵¹Cr-release assays. The effect of serum and interleukin-2 (IL-2) on hRS7-mediated ADCC was also studied.

Results.

Trop-2 expression was found in 41 of 50 (82%) tumor tissues tested by IHC. 83% (5 of 6) of the ovarian cancer cell lines tested by qRT-PCR and flow cytometry demonstrated high Trop-2 expression. All primary ovarian cancer cell lines expressing Trop-2 were highly sensitive to hRS7-mediated ADCC in vitro (range of killing: 19.3% to 40.8%) (p < 0.001). Negligible cytotoxicity against chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancers was seen in the absence of hRS7 or in the presence of rituximab control antibody (range of killing: 1.1% to 8.9%). Human serum did not significantly inhibit hRS7-mediated cytotoxicity while incubation with IL-2 in addition to hRS7 further increased the cytotoxic activity (p = 0.04).

Conclusions.

Trop-2 is highly expressed in chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer cell lines at mRNA and protein levels. Primary ovarian carcinoma cell lines are highly sensitive to hRS7-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro. hRS7 may represent a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of high-grade, chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer.     

树突状细胞体外诱导抗卵巢癌免疫的实验研究

目的 观察人外周血树突状细胞(Dendritic cells,DC),体外能否诱导抗卵巢癌免疫应答。方法 用粒细胞-巨噬细胞集落刺激因子(GM-CSF)、白介素-4(IL-4)和肿瘤坏死因子α(TNF-α)从健康女性外周血分化诱导DC,以源于人卵巢癌细胞系HO-8910的肿瘤抗原粗提物冲击致敏DC,将致敏DC、同源淋巴细胞和卵巢癌细胞共育,观察负载抗原DC体外诱导淋巴细胞对HO-8910细胞的杀伤作用,同时设不同类型肿瘤细胞(Eca-109和PC-12)作为对照。MTT法测定细胞杀伤活性。结果 经卵巢癌细胞HO-8910肿瘤抗原脉冲致敏的DC能诱导淋巴细胞特异性地杀伤卵巢癌细胞。结论 用GM-CSF、IL-4和TNF-α从人外周血诱生的DC能从卵巢癌细胞HO-8910冻融物有效递呈抗原并诱导出高效而特异的抗卵巢癌免疫反应。     

Effects of peritoneal macrophages from women with endometriosis on endometrial cellular proliferation in an in vitro coculture model.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of peritoneal macrophages on endometrial cellular proliferation in an in vitro coculture model and to compare the magnitude of these effects between macrophages from women with endometriosis and normal women. DESIGN: Controlled study of peritoneal macrophage function. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): Patients with a normal peritoneal cavity (n = 15) and with pelvic endometriosis (n = 20) undergoing laparoscopy. INTERVENTION(S): Peritoneal macrophages were cocultured with endometrial epithelial and stromal cells; endometrial cell cultures without macrophage coculture acted as controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Endometrial cellular proliferation measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation. RESULT(S): Endometrial epithelial cells cocultured with peritoneal macrophages from women with endometriosis showed significantly increased proliferation compared with cocultures using macrophages from normal women when assessed at 24 hours (1.56 versus 1.03 times, respectively, over control) and at 72 hours (1.55 versus 1.10 times over control). Endometrial stromal cells cocultured with peritoneal macrophages from women with endometriosis similarly exhibited increased proliferation compared with cocultures using macrophages from normal women when assessed at 24 hours (1.65 versus 1.17 times over control) and at 72 hours (1.65 versus 1.21 times over control). CONCLUSION(S): Peritoneal macrophages of patients with endometriosis stimulate cellular proliferation of endometrial epithelial and stromal cells in vitro.     

Effect of dehydroepiandrosterone on lipopolysaccharide-induced interleukin-6 production in DH82 cultured canine macrophage cells

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated interleukin-6 (IL-6) production in the DH82 canine macrophage cell line. STUDY DESIGN: Cultured DH82 cells were stimulated with varying concentrations of LPS with or without DHEA for various times. Supernatant IL-6 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and cellular cytoplasmic IkappaBalpha protein expression measured by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: LPS dose-dependently stimulated IL-6 production (p=0.016). Cells stimulated with 20 microg LPS showed a time-dependent increase of IL-6 concentration up to 10 h post-treatment (p=0.007). Co-treatment of DH82 cells with 20 microg LPS and various concentrations of DHEA for 14 h showed that up to 10 microM DHEA dose-dependently decreased the IL-6 concentration (p=0.007). Also, addition of 20 microM DHEA to DH82 cells with 20 microg LPS time-dependently decreased the IL-6 concentration for up to 14 h post-treatment (p=0.018). Stimulation of cultured DH82 cells with 20 microg LPS significantly decreased cellular cytoplasmic IkappaBalpha expression, beginning at 30 min post-treatment and persisting to at least 2 h post-treatment (p=0.012). However, co-treatment of cells with 20 microg LPS and 20 microM DHEA abrogated this effect until 2 h post-treatment. CONCLUSIONS: DHEA decreased the IL-6 concentration in the supernatant of LPS-stimulated DH82 cells by inhibiting the sequestration of IkappaBalpha, which is necessary for the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B. These findings provide new insights into the immunomodulatory effects of DHEA.     

达那唑体外对子宫内膜异位症患者腹腔巨噬细胞释放细胞因子 …

目的 了解达那唑体外对子宫内膜异位症（内异症）患者腹腔巨噬细胞释放细胞因子的影响及与胞浆游离钙（「Ｃａ＾２＋」）浓度的关系。方法 将浓度分别为１０μｇ／Ｌ、１００μｇ／Ｌ、１０００μｇ／Ｌ的达那唑加入１４例内异症不孕患者和１１例盆腔正常的不孕患者（对照）的腹腔液中进行培养，用双抗体夹心法检测腹腔巨噬细胞培养上清液中肿瘤坏死因子α（ＴＮＦ－α）和白细胞介素６（ＩＬ－６）的水平。同时，应用Ｆｒｕａ２测     

Resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis in ovarian cancer cell lines is overcome by co-treatment with cytotoxic drugs

BACKGROUND: TRAIL, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, is a recently identified cytokine that preferentially kills transformed cells while sparing most normal cells. METHODS: We investigated the ability of TRAIL alone and TRAIL in combination with cytotoxic drugs to induce apoptosis in six ovarian cancer cell lines. To get some insight into the resistance to TRAIL, the expression of TRAIL receptors and selected downstream signaling elements was determined. RESULTS: TRAIL induced significant apoptosis (up to 80%) in three out of six ovarian cancer cell lines (MZ-26, CaOV-3, ES-2). In A2780 and A2780ADR cells, resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis correlated with their lack of DR4-expression. MZ-15 cells, which expressed the processed form of FLIP(L), p43 (FADD-like IL-1beta-converting enzyme (FLICE)-like inhibitory protein (FLIP)), and FLIP(S), were resistant to TRAIL in spite of the presence of DR4. When TRAIL-resistant cell lines were co-incubated with routinely used cytotoxic agents, TRAIL exerted a synergistic effect leading to apoptosis rates unachievable by incubation with cytotoxic agents alone. CONCLUSION: The ability of TRAIL to induce apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells as well as to potentiate the activity of chemotherapeutic agents even in cell lines that are resistant to TRAIL-induced cytotoxicity is a powerful promise in the fight against this deadly disease.     

Development of an immunocytokine, IL-2-183B2scFv, for targeted immunotherapy of ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to develop an immunocytokine for immunotherapy of human ovarian cancer. METHODS: The single-chain Fv of a monoclonal antibody, COC183B2, specific for an ovarian carcinoma-associated antigen (OC183B2), was genetically fused with the coding sequence of interleukin 2 (IL-2). The fusion protein, also called immunocytokine, IL-2-183B2scFv, was expressed in CHO cells and examined for its specificity and biological function. RESULTS: The immunocytokine, IL-2-183B2scFv, retained the functions of both the antibody and IL-2. It was able to target IL-2 to tumor cells that overexpress OC183B2, and stimulate the proliferation of an IL-2-dependent cell line, CTLL-2. CONCLUSIONS: The IL-2-183B2scFv maintains the functions of both IL-2 and antibody. It can be potentially used for immunotherapy of ovarian cancer by delivering a high concentration of IL-2 to OC183B2-expressing ovarian cancer cells.