Activation by the protein-bound polysaccharide PSK (krestin) of cytotoxic lymphocytes that act on fresh autologous tumor cells and T24 human urinary bladder transitional carcinoma cell line in patients with urinary bladder cancer

PSK, a protein-bound polysaccharide Kureha, was tested for its ability to modulate the cytotoxicity of lymphocytes that act on autologous tumor cells and T24 human urinary bladder tumor cells in urinary bladder cancer patients in a 6-h 51Cr release assay. In vitro treatment of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) with PSK for 18 hours resulted in an augmentation or induction of cytotoxicity against relatively resistant T24 cells in previously reactive and nonreactive cases, respectively. The PSK-treated PBL were able to kill more effectively tumor cells that were freshly isolated from the same cancer patients than non-treated PBL. The effects of PSK were noted with PBL as well as tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and with PSK at concentrations of 10 to 100 micrograms./ml., while PSK at higher doses reduced their lytic activities. The addition of PSK to the assay at the same concentrations also enhanced the cytotoxicities. Autologous tumor killing (ATK) activities of both large granular lymphocytes (LGL) and T lymphocytes were enhanced by PSK. Treatment of PBL with PSK did not effect on the proportion of PBL binding to the tumor cells, while it augmented the cytotoxic activity. Cell-free supernatant of PSK-stimulated lymphocyte culture did not contain any detectable amounts of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-2 (IL-2). In addition, anti-IFN-alpha monoclonal antibody (MAb), anti-IFN-gamma MAb and anti-IL-2 MAb did not inhibit PSK-induced augmentation of cytotoxicity against T24. Oral administration of PSK (three gm./day) to patients with urinary bladder cancer daily for seven days before operation resulted in an augmentation of the cytotoxicity against T24 cells in five out of 10 patients and no change of the cytotoxicity in the other five patients. ATK activity was also enhanced by oral administration of PSK in three out of five patients. These results indicate that the antitumor activity of PSK may be in part mediated through activation of tumor killing system independent of IFN-alpha, IFN-gamma and IL-2.