LAK细胞对人肝癌细胞的杀伤及电镜观察

本文观察了淋巴因子激活的杀伤细胞（LAK）在体外对人肝癌细胞株（H7402）的杀伤活性及透射电镜下LAK细胞对H7402的杀伤作用。实验证实：LAK细胞以人肝癌细胞H7402有较强的杀伤活性，而对正常人外周血淋巴细胞无杀伤作用；透射电镜下：LAK细胞与H7402细胞共同孵育30分钟，可见二种细胞各自伸出突起，互相接触，共同培养4小时，可见H7402细胞呈“凋零”坏死。     

Selective purging by human interleukin-2 activated lymphocytes of bone marrows contaminated with a lymphoma line or autologous leukaemic cells

The ability of recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL2) activated lymphocytes (LAK) to purge BM samples contaminated by tumour cells was evaluated. Human BM mononuclear cells were contaminated with 10% of the lymphoma line CA46 and then cultured in liquid medium containing 1000 U/ml of rIL2 and/or LAK autologous to the used BM. At the end of coculture the growth of residual tumour cells and of CFU-GM were evaluated by clonogenic assay. No tumour cell growth was observed in 5/5 independent experiments after 18 h of coculture with LAK. No significant inhibition of CFU-GM growth was also noted. Subsequently, the effect of LAK on BM obtained from four leukaemic patients and contaminated with 20-50% of their own AML and ALL cells was studied using MAb as a tool for identifying leukaemic cells. LAK eliminated 24-78% of contaminating cryopreserved uncultured autologous leukaemic cells. In five cases the BM was contaminated by a low (2%) amount of ALL cells. In these patients the monoclonal heavy chain rearrangement typical of ALL was no longer visible after coculture with LAK. Evidence for selective tumour cytotoxicity by LAK was confirmed by using autologous BM cells as hot and cold targets in a 51Cr release assay. Finally, successful haematologic reconstitution of lethally irradiated BALB/c mice was obtained using syngeneic BM cocultured with LAK. These results support the investigational use of rIL2 and LAK in the treatment of human leukaemia.     

Induction of in vitro graft-versus-leukemia activity following bone marrow transplantation for chronic myeloid leukemia

We studied the in vitro effects of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells from the peripheral blood of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients after allogeneic and syngeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). LAK cells were generated by incubating peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients post-BMT with recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2) (500 U/mL) in 10% AB serum for 7 days. They were phenotyped and tested for activity in a standard 4-hour 51Cr release assay (n = 37) and in a CFU-GM assay (n = 24). We found that the LAK cells were mainly activated natural killer cells, but some were CD3+ T cells. In the 51Cr release assay LAK cells from 20 of 33 (61%) allogeneic and 2 of 4 syngeneic recipients killed recipient CML cells and in 22 of 37 (60%) cases also killed the HLA disparate CML cells. In the CFU-GM assay the LAK cells incubated together with the CML cells in liquid culture before plating inhibited (P less than .05) colony growth in 16 of 22 allogeneic and 2 of 2 syngeneic recipients. Cell-cell contact was necessary for optimal effect. There was little or no inhibition of proliferation of donor marrow CFU-GM. This in vitro graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect could also be demonstrated after LAK effectors were depleted of CD3+ T cells. It was inducible in recipients of both T cell-depleted and T cell-replete donor marrow and in recipients with or without graft-versus-host disease. These results suggest that a major histocompatibility complex-unrestricted GVL effect is inducible following allogeneic and syngeneic BMT. The use of IL-2/LAK cells after BMT could reduce the risk of relapse.     

Natural killer and lymphokine-activated killer cells require granzyme B for the rapid induction of apoptosis in susceptible target cells.

Granzyme (Gzm) B-deficient mice obtained by gene targeting were used to assess the role of Gzm B in the mechanisms used by natural killer (NK) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells to destroy target cells. Gzm B-/- NK cells, LAK cells, and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) all are defective in their ability to rapidly induce DNA fragmentation/apoptosis in susceptible target cells. This defect can be partially corrected with long incubation times of effector and target cells. Moreover, Gzm B-/- NK cells (but not CTL or LAK cells) exhibit a defect in 51Cr release from susceptible target cells. This 51Cr release defect in Gzm B-deficient NK cells is also not overcome by prolonged incubation times or high effector-to-target cell ratios. We conclude that Gzm B plays a critical and nonredundant role in the rapid induction of DNA fragmentation/apoptosis by NK cells, LAK cells, and CTL. Gzm B may have an additional role in NK cells (but not in CTL or LAK cells) for mediating 51Cr release.     

Resistance of some leukemic blasts to lysis by lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy donors and AML patients in remission were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2). These stimulated cells (lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells) showed increased DNA synthesis as measured by 3H-Thymidine uptake. A synergistic effect of PHA and IL-2 was found. LAK cells' ability to kill acute myeloid leukemia (AML) blasts was investigated by the 51Cr release assay. LAK cells showed a cytotoxicity (over 10% specific 51Cr release) against 9/12 leukemic blasts, even at effector/target (E/T) ratios as low as 5:1. However, on average only 22.2% (SD 11.8) and 36.5% (SD 12.5) 51Cr release were obtained in 4- and 18-hour cytotoxicity assays, respectively, at an E/T ratio of 20:1. Leukemic blasts in 3/12 AML cases and normal PBMC were entirely resistant to lysis, even at an E/T ratio of 80:1. Susceptibility to lysis was not correlated to peanut-agglutinin receptor expression. LAK cells were more cytotoxic towards the K-562 cell line (natural killer activity) than unstimulated PBMC.     

Lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells inhibit the clonogenic growth of human leukemic stem cells

The effect of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells on the in vitro clonogenic capacity of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) blasts was investigated in a semisolid medium assay. The leukemic clonogenic capacity of 11 AML cases, selected on the basis of their ability to grow in vitro, was highly reduced following overnight preincubation with LAK effectors. The degree of colony inhibition, which ranged between 66% and 98% (mean 83.8% +/- 11.4 SD), was quantitatively greater than by 51Cr release, which gave rise to lytic values between 5% and 65% (mean 43.2% +/- 19.2 SD). The demonstration that the clonogenic inhibition was still induced following a shorter pre-incubation period (4 hours) suggests that the effect is unlikely to be due only to the generation of cytotoxic activity during the incubation time. The possibility that LAK cells may be employed in the management of residual disease is strengthened by the evidence that the clonogenic potential of samples containing as few as 20% and 14.3% leukemic cells could be almost completely abolished by LAK effectors. These findings further point the possible role of adoptive immunotherapy with interleukin 2/LAK cells in the treatment of patients with acute leukemia.     

Lysis of human malignant mesothelioma cells by natural killer (NK) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells

Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive tumor of the pleura for which, at present, there is no effective therapy. As interleukin-2 (IL-2) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells lyse many solid tissue malignancies that are unresponsive to conventional forms of therapy, the aim of this study was to evaluate the susceptibility of human malignant mesothelioma cells to lysis by natural killer (NK) and LAK cells. Using a 4-h 51Cr release assay, malignant mesothelioma cell lines grown from six different patients were found to be resistant to NK cell lysis (less than 10% lysis as compared to 50 +/- 3% lysis of the standard NK-sensitive target, K562, p less than 0.001). These malignant mesothelioma cells were, however, susceptible to lysis by LAK cells (58 +/- 4% lysis, p less than 0.001 compared to NK lysis). Similar results were seen using fresh mesothelioma cell targets (4 +/- 2% and 34 +/- 12% lysis for NK and LAK cells, respectively). Optimal LAK cell activation against these targets was achieved by incubating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (2 to 4 x 10(6)/ml) in culture medium containing 1,000 units/ml IL-2 for 3 to 14 days. The degree of LAK cell activation was dependent on the serum source used in culture, with autologous serum being more effective than pooled human AB serum or fetal calf serum at generating LAK cell activity in vitro (p less than 0.05). The results of this study demonstrate that although human malignant mesothelioma cells are resistant to NK cell lysis, IL-2-activated LAK cells effectively kill these targets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Nonspecific cytotoxicity of recombinant interleukin-2 activated lymphocytes

The administration of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells to patients with advanced metastatic cancer has yielded encouraging results. The purported ability of LAK cells to be discriminatively tumoricidal, thus sparing normal host tissue, represents a major advance over conventional chemotherapy. However, IL-2 adoptive immunotherapy results in dose-limiting toxicity characterized by weight gain, dyspnea, ascites, and peripheral-pulmonary edema suggestive of a vascular leak syndrome. It is unclear whether the observed toxicity is directly related to IL-2 and/or LAK cells. The authors examined the cytolytic nature of human LAK cells against human endothelial, epithelial, and fibroblast cell lines. Bovine endothelial cells also were studied. Using a 51Cr release assay, the cytolytic potential, time course, and effect of reactive oxygen intermediate inhibitors were studied. LAK cells were uniformly toxic against all cell lines, in contrast to high dose rIL-2 and excipient. Significant cytolysis was observed within 30 minutes and increased over the first 2 hours of LAK cells coming in contact with target cells. Reactive oxygen intermediate inhibitors did not reduce cytolytic activity. The authors thus found human LAK cells to be rapidly cytolytic against a variety of human and bovine cell lines. This cytolysis was independent of reactive oxygen intermediates.     

Lysis of leukemia cells by spleen cells of normal mice.

Spleen cells from 2- to 3-month-old normal mice of some strains having a low incidence of spontaneous leukemia were found to lyse cells of the spontaneous AKR leukemia K36 in the 51Cr release assay. Incubation of 51Cr-labeled ADR K36 cells with spleen cells from normal C57BL/6, C57L, C57BL/10, and RF mice resulted in the release of significantly more 51Cr than that released in the presence of medium alone. In contrast, 51Cr released from AKR K36 cells after incubation with spleen cells from mice of the high leukemic strains AKR and C58 was less than that released spontaneously. The results of competitive inhibition tests when C57BL/6 spleen cells were incubated simultaneously with 51Cr-labeled AKR K36 target cells and varying numbers of nonlabeled cells demonstrated that the cytotoxic activity of normal C57BL/6 spleen cells was directed against an antigen(s) associated with several leukemias, but that was undetectable on normal thymocytes. Pretreatment of C57BL/6 spleen cells with carbonyl iron and a magnet, which removed phagocytic macrophages, did not decrease the cytotoxic acitivity for AKR K36 cells.     

Inhibin production by sertoli cell cultures

The production of inhibin by cultures of Sertoli cells from 21-day-old rats was assessed by the use of an in vitro bioassay using rat pituitary cells in culture. Sertoli cell culture media (SCCM) caused a dose-dependent suppression of the pituitary cell FSH content which was parallel with that of an ovine testis lymph preparation used as an inhibin standard. SCCM also caused a dose-dependent inhibition of FSH secreted by pituitary cells in response to 10 nM GnRH stimulation. The FSH-inhibitory activity in SCCM was destroyed by heat or trypsin digestion and could not be attributable to the steroid content of the medium, since ether extraction caused no change in the inhibitory activity.The inhibin activity in SCCM was not due to cytotoxicity in the bioassay, since the LH cell content was unchanged and the media produced no change in the release of ⁵¹Cr from labelled pituitary cells, a parameter which has been shown to be a useful test of cytotoxicity. Sertoli cell cultures produced inhibin for the 8-day duration of the cultures. The amount of inhibin produced was proportional to the number of Sertoli cells initially plated. If foetal calf serum was included for more than the initial 48 h, the spent medium caused toxic effects in the pituitary cells as evidenced by an increase in ⁵¹Cr release from ⁵¹Cr-labelled pituitary cells. Similar toxic effects were found if the lyophilized spent media contained cellular debris. A dose-dependent increase in inhibin activity was observed in the presence of graded doses of FSH (0.05–5 μg/ml NIH-FSH-S13).     

Ulcerative colitis--a disease characterised by the abnormal colonic epithelial cell?

The leakiness of the cell membranes of colonic epithelial cells isolated by the collagenase/Dispase technique from normal or diseased colons was assessed in a 4 h 51Cr release assay. Cells from normal, adenoma bearing or cancer bearing colons showed 51Cr release of 8% or less in almost all of 46 cell populations tested. In contrast, cells from mucosa affected by ulcerative colitis [11.9 (4.3%) n = 23] or Crohn's disease [8.4 (2.7%) n = 18] released significantly more 51Cr than the non-inflamed groups. Values are expressed as mean (SD). Overall, release values were greater in ulcerative colitis than Crohn's disease (p less than 0.01). In Crohn's disease, cells obtained from histologically inflamed mucosa released significantly more 51Cr [9.7 (2.5%) n = 11] than those from non-inflamed mucosa [6.4 (1.5%) n = 7, p less than 0.02] whereas, in ulcerative colitis, abnormal release values were found in 8 of 13 cell populations isolated from mucosa showing no histological evidence of active disease. In five patients with distal ulcerative colitis, cells from mucosa not apparently involved demonstrated normal 51Cr release in four of five studies despite abnormal release from cells from involved mucosa suggesting that a diffuse abnormality of the colonic epithelial cell is not usually present. These data indicate that chronic mucosal inflammation per se is associated with abnormalities of the colonic epithelial cell but that, in ulcerative colitis, the abnormality remains in many patients with quiescent disease. Identification of the local factors responsible for such an abnormality may contribute to an understanding of the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis.     

Cellular Immunity Against Rous Sarcomas of Chickens. Preferential Reactivity Against Autochthonous Target Cells as Determined by Lymphocyte Adherence and Cytotoxicity Tests In Vitro

Spleen cells from random-bred chickens bearing Rous sarcomas were commonly more reactive against the neoplastic target cells in autochthonous than in allogenic interactions in vitro. This difference was observed both in cytotoxic assays ((51)Cr release from labeled target cells) and in an immunoadherence test measuring attachment of (51)Cr-labeled splenocytes to Rous sarcoma cells. Specific splenocyte reactivity was not observed with normal embryonic chicken fibroblasts, 3T3 cells, or embryonic mouse C3H fibroblasts. The immunoadherence technique required only 2 hr to perform, and revealed a more consistent superiority of autochthonous recognition of Rous sarcoma cells than the cytotoxicity assay. Experiments in which both procedures were used simultaneously with identical cell populations yielded similar results, indicating that splenocyte adherence may be a precursor of and/or concomitant to target cell damage and that individual-specific tumor antigencity may play a part in cellular immunity against Rous sarcomas.     

Coinduction of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor release and lymphokine-activated killer cell susceptibility in monocytes by interleukin-2 via interleukin-2 receptor beta

Human monocytes express interleukin-2 receptor beta (IL-2R beta) constitutively; however, the function of these receptors has not been fully delineated. We discovered that IL-2R beta directs two biologic activities in human monocytes, the release of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and increased susceptibility to lysis by lymphokine-activated killer cells (LAK) cells. Human monocytes were purified from peripheral blood mononuclear cells by plastic adherence and anti-CD2 plus complement lysis. By a 5-hour 51Cr-release assay, monocytes cultured in IL-2 were found to gain increasing susceptibility to LAK cells with time and this effect was dose dependent. Maximal susceptibility was obtained with a 4-day culture in 1,000 U/mL of IL-2. Monocytes were also found to release GM-CSF in response to IL-2 using a CSF-dependent cell line, Mo7e. Because IL-2- induced GM-CSF release coincides with LAK lysis of IL-2-cultured monocytes, we treated monocytes with anti-GM-CSF and anti-IL-2R beta to determine whether GM-CSF release and LAK susceptibility were dependent or independent events. We found that both phenomena were inhibited by either antibody. Therefore, we conclude that IL-2-induced release of GM- CSF is mediated by IL-2R beta, which then acts to modulate the susceptibility of monocytes to lysis by LAK cells.     

Proliferation and cytotoxicity of lectin-induced lymphokine-activated killer (LILAK) cells

More than 10(11) killer cells are needed for adoptive immunotherapy, but it is difficult to obtain so many from patients. Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) treated with lectin and then with recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) give many lectin-induced lymphokine-activated killer (LILAK) cells, studied here for proliferation, cytotoxicity, IL-2 receptors (IL-2R) and subsets. PBL obtained from hepatoma patients or healthy adults were incubated with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) or concanavalin A (ConA) for 3 days and with rIL-2 for 4 days. Then the medium was replaced with fresh medium containing rIL-2 every 3 or 4 days, with the volume increased as cells proliferated. Cytotoxicity was expressed as the percentage lysis of target cells by 4 h 51Cr release. LILAK cells from healthy adults increased 120-fold in 2 weeks when incubated with ConA; the lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells increased 7-fold. The percentage of IL-2R+ cells increased more with ConA than with rIL-2 alone. ConA induced more suppressor T cells than PHA. LILAK cells obtained from patients by PHA treatment increased 180-fold in 2 weeks. Their cytotoxicity to Daudi cells was 1% before culture and 91% in 2 weeks; that of LAK cells was 60%. LILAK cells were cytotoxic to the tumour target cells, but not to allogeneic PBL. Adoptive immunotherapy may become more practical if many LILAK cells can be obtained at once by large-scale culture, such as by a hollow-fibre system.     

HLA antigen-related restriction of T lymphocyte cytotoxicity to Epstein-Barr virus.

The specificity of cytotoxic T cells generated in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected lymphocyte cultures was investigated, using a 51Cr release assay. Potent cytotoxic T cells with preferred specificity directed to antigens expressed on autologous lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) target cells were present in 14-day cultures of lymphocytes from EBV-seropositive donors and not from seronegative donors. Moreover, the cytotoxic patterns obtained with a panel of HLA antigen-related and unrelated LCL target cells, supported by unlabeled target inhibition tests, strongly indicate that T cell cytotoxicity to EBV is restricted to HLA antigens.     

Induction of allogeneic tumour- and lymphokine-activated lymphocytes against hepatocellular carcinoma

For clinical application of adoptive immunotherapy against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), it is not easy to prepare tumour specific effector cells such as cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). To induce potent and broad-spectrum effectors, allogeneic cultured hepatoma cell lines (JHH-4 and HuH-6) were used as stimulators of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) instead of autologous HCC cells. Allogeneic tumour- and lymphokine-activated killer cells (ATLAK) were generated by a mixed culture of lymphocytes and allogeneic cultured tumour cells with recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2). The tumour-killing activity of ATLAK induced by HuH-6 was confirmed against HuH-6 and other different HCC cell lines (JHH-2, HuH-7 and PLC). These activated lymphocytes were significantly more potent than lymphokine-activated killer cells (LAK) in [51Cr]-releasing assay. The JHH-4 stimulated ATLAK was reactive not only with JHH-4 but also with JHH-2. The lysis of allogeneic targets could be partially inhibited by anti-CD8 and anti-CD3 but not by anti-CD4. Anti-tumour cytotoxicity in these cultures might be mediated by CD3+CD56- and CD3+CD56+ effectors. These results imply that adoptive immunotherapy for HCC with ATLAK may be more feasible than that with LAK.     

Adherent cell inhibition of human leukemic in vitro agar clonal growth by short-term cell-to-cell contact

The effects of peripheral blood adherent cells from normal donors on human myeloid leukemic cluster growth in agar were studied. A prior co- incubation of nonadherent leukemic cells with adherent cell monolayers from 9 out of 10 donors in liquid cultures over a 4-hr period was sufficient to reduce subsequent leukemic growth in semisolid agar cultures. Inhibition was seen with adherent to leukemic cell ratios of as low as 0.5:1. Conversely, identical numbers of adherent cells in agar cultures but separated from the leukemic cells enhanced growth more than the cultures containing human placental conditioned media alone. Because leukemic cell exposure to adherent cells was brief, a cytotoxic mechanism appeared likely; however, this could not be detected by 51Cr release. Human peripheral blood adherent cells not activated by any in vitro mechanism suppress clonal growth of human myeloid leukemic cells by a mechanism requiring cell to cell contact. Examination of the inhibition of clonal growth appears to be more sensitive than 51Cr release as an indicator of adherent cell effects on myeloid leukemia.     

The possible mode of escape of adult T-cell leukaemia cells from antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity

Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) was measured using 51Cr-labelled ATL derived cell lines as the target, peripheral mononuclear cells (PMNCs) from disease-free persons as the effector cells and heat-inactivated serum from patients with ATL or the IgG purified from this. The release of 51Cr was not usually demonstrated in the HTLV-1 non-producing ATL derived cell line (MT-1), but was evident in the HTLV-1 producing ATL derived cell lines (KT 252 and IT 607). The 51Cr-labelled MT-1 cells after induction of HTLV-1 retrovirus by 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (IdUr), showed a remarkable target sensitivity in the ADCC assay. On the other hand, the 51Cr-labelled MT-1 cells after culture with IdUr and ATL patient's serum, had no ADCC sensitivity. The fresh ATL cells immediately separated from ATL patient's blood did not express HTLV-1 virus in the cell and had no ADCC sensitivity as the target. Based on these findings, an antigenic modulation on the ATL cell surface by ATL patient's serum is considered to be the possible mode of escape of ATL cells from ADCC.     

Eosinophils and major basic protein damage but do not detach human amniotic epithelial cells.

Damage and detachment of epithelial cells is thought to contribute to the pathologenesis of asthma. Both eosinophils and neutrophils are found in asthmatic airways and several studies have suggested that eosinophils may be responsible for the epithelial cell detachment of asthma. To compare the capacity of purified human eosinophils and neutrophils to mediate epithelial cell detachment, we utilized a human amniotic epithelial cell-basement membrane model that we have recently described. Activated eosinophils induced little detachment at 4 h (less than 10% detachment), which contrasted with that seen with equivalent numbers of identically handled neutrophils (29 +/- 6% detachment, p less than .05). In contrast, eosinophils did induce damage to epithelial cells to an extent similar to neutrophils when assessed using a 51Cr release assay (17 +/- 6% and 18 +/- 9% release of 51Cr, respectively). When purified preparations of the major eosinophil-derived protein major basic protein (MBP) were studied, similar effects on epithelial cells were observed, i.e., damage (77 +/- 13% release of 51Cr) without detachment (less than 5% cell detachment). These data suggest that neutrophils are more effective in inducing detachment of human epithelial cells, whereas both eosinophils and neutrophils damage human epithelial cells.     

Antitumor activities of human autologous cytokine—induced killer（CIK）cells against hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo

AIM：To characterize the anticancer function of cytokine induced killer cells(CIK) and develop an adoptive immunotherapy for the patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),we evaluated the proliferation rate phenotype and the antitumor activity of human CIK cells from healthy donors and HCC patients in vitro and in vivo.METHODS:Peipheral bolld mononuclear cells(PBMC) form healthy donors and patients with primary HCC were incubated in vitro and induced into CIK cells in the presence of various cytokines such as interferon-gamma(IFN-γ),interleukin-1(IL-1),IL-2,and monoclonal antibody(mAb) against CD3.The phenotype and characterization of CIK cells were identified by folw cytometric analysis.The cytotoxicity of CIK cells was detemined by ^51Cr release assay.RESULTS:The CIK cells were shown to be a heterogeneous population with different cellular phenotypes.The percentage of CD3^+/CD56^+ positive cells,the dominant effector cells,in total CIK cells from healthy donors and HCC patients,significantly increased form 0.1-0.13% at day 0 to 19.0-20.5% at day 21 incubation,which suggested that the CD^3+ CD56^+positive cells proliferated faster than other cell populations of CIK cells in the protocol used in this study.After 28 day in vitro incubation,the CIK cells from patients with HCC and healthy donors increased by more than 300-fold and 500-fold in proliferation cell number respectively,CIK cells originated from HCC patients possessed a higher in vitro antitumor cytotoxic activity on autologous HCC cells than the autologous lymphokine-activated killer(LAK) cells and PBMC cells,In in vivo animal experiment.CIK cells had stonger effects on the inhibition of tumor growth in Balb/c nude mice bearing BEL-7402-producing tumor than LAK cells(mean inhibitory rate 84.7%VS52.8%,P<0.05) or PBMC(mean inhibitory rate 84.7%VS 37.1%,P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Autologous CIK cells are of highly efficient cytotoxic effcetor cells against primary hepatocellular carcinoma cells and might serve as an alternative adoptive therapeutic strategy for HCC patrents.