Effect of anti‐embryo immunization on methylcholanthrene‐induced sarcoma growth in BALB/c mice

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Abstract
The effect of immunization with embryonic tissues on challenge with two methylcholanthrene‐induced fibrosarcomas (MCA‐I and II) has been studied in BALB/c mice. No anti‐tumor protection was elicited by multiple intrastrain pregnancies and by immunizing with either X‐irradiated or mitomycin‐C‐blocked cells of syngeneic or allogeneic embryos obtained from primiparous females. Enhancement was found in anti‐embryo immunized males, but not females, and in multiparous females upon transplantation of MCA‐I sarcoma cells. Immunization with syngeneic embryonic cells in complete Freund's adjuvant, with embryomas or with syngeneic embryos kept in cell‐impermeable diffusion chambers, resulted in an enhancement of MCA‐II cells while allogeneic embryonal immunization was ineffective. The immunologic nature of the phenomenon was supported by experiments in which immunosuppression prevented the development of the enhancing response in mice injected with embryonic tissues. In neutralization experiments neither lymphocytes nor serum from anti‐embryo‐immune or multiparous mice caused any stimulatory or inhibitory effect on the admixed tumor cells.