This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Umezawa, H. Articles by Takeuchi, T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Umezawa, H. Articles by Takeuchi, T.

Involvement of Cytotoxic T-Lymphocytes in the Antitumor Activity of Spergualin against L1210 Cells

Institute of Microbial Chemistry, 3-14-23, Kamiosaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141 [H. U., T. T.]; Research Laboratories, Pharmaceuticals Group, Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd., 3-31-12, Shimo, Kita-ku, Tokyo 115 [K. N., C. S., K. T.]; and Central Research Laboratory, Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd., 3-4-1, Seta, Ohtsu-shi, Shiga-ken 502-21 [T. N.], Japan

Spergualin exhibited a strong antitumor effect against L1210(IMC), a tumor cell line which has been maintained in BALB/c x DBA/2 F₁ (hereafter called CD2F₁) mice in the Institute of Microbial Chemistry. Mice inoculated i.p. with 10⁵ cells of L1210(IMC) survived more than 60 days by daily i.p. administration of spergualin for 9 days at 5 mg/kg/day, which was started 1 day after the tumor inoculation. These cured mice rejected a second inoculation of 10⁶ cells of L1210(IMC), but they did not reject the inoculation of 10² P388 cells. In Winn's tumor neutralization assay and in the ⁵¹Cr release assay, the T-cell fraction prepared from the spleens of the cured mice had higher cytotoxic activity against L1210(IMC) than whole spleen cells. The cytotoxic activity of spleen cells was diminished by treatment with anti-Thy-1.2 or anti-Lyt-2.1 antibody and complement. Therefore, the effector cells involved in the immunological rejection should be regarded as cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. The cytotoxic activity of these T-lymphocytes was measured during and after the spergualin administration for 9 days, and high activity was observed from 1 day after the final spergualin administration. The antitumor effect of spergualin against L1210(IMC) was much lower in T-cell-deficient athymic mice. These results suggest that cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are involved in the antitumor action of spergualin against L1210(IMC) in vivo.

¹ Deceased.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 5/ 7/86. Revised 3/ 5/87. Accepted 3/17/87.