Cytotoxic action of macrophages activated by BCG on tumor target cellsin vitro

The activating action of liquid BCG vaccine, lyophilized BCG vaccine, and killed BCG cells on macrophages was studied. Activation of mouse peritoneal macrophages was identified by their cytotoxic actionin vitro on syngeneic tumor target cells labeled with⁵¹Cr. Macrophages obtained from mice two to three weeks after a single injection of liquid BCG vaccine were shown to have a cytotoxic action on tumor cells. A single injection of lyophilized BCG vaccine or killed BCG cells into mice did not cause activation of their macrophages. Two injections of liquid or lyophilized BCG vaccine caused activation of macrophages much earlier — three to five days after the second injection. Intraperitoneal injection of BCG activated macrophages to a greater degree than subcutaneous injection.Laboratory of Experimental Tumor Therapy, P. A. Gertsen Moscow Oncologic Research Institute. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR A. D. Timofeevskii.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 87, No. 1, pp. 36–39, January, 1979.