PROPHYLACTIC EFFECT OF ACTIVE IMMUNIZATION WITH CURCUMA AROMATICA TREATED TUMOR CELLS——EXPLORATION OF MECHANISM OF ACTION OF CURCUMA AROMATICA

Immunization of inbred strain 615 mice with oleum curcuma aromatica treated L615 leukemic cells provided significant protection against subsequent challenge with alive L615 leukemic cells. It was found that such acquired antitumor immunity was apparently tumor specific, rather stable and could be passively transferred to recipient L615 mice by injection of spleen cell suspension of actively immunized mouse. Our study provided some experimental evidence for the possible mechanism of antitumor action of curcuma aromatica and also raised the possibility of using tumor cells pretreated with Chinese herbal antitumor agents in immunotherapy of cancer.