CORRELATIONS BETWEEN HUMORAL IMMUNITY AND SUCCESSFUL CHEMOTHERAPY-IMMUNOTHERAPY

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 36  (9) , 3051-3057
Abstract
Experiments were designed to evaluate the characteristics of the humoral immune response induced by active immunotherapy, specific (neuraminidase-treated tumor cells) and nonspecific (BCG organisms), in the L1210-C57BL/6 .times. DBA/2 F1 tumor-host [leukemia] system. Tumor burden was minimized with chemotherapy (1,3-bis-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea) prior to immunotherapy. A marked increase in the concentration of serum immunoglobulins [Ig] (IgM, IgG1 and IgG2) was observed following successful therapy. The highest concentration of these immunoglobulins was found in mice given Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase-treated cells and BCG after chemotherapy. Tumor-specific IgM and IgG2, as measured by indirect immunofluorescence, were detected in the sera during the course of successful therapy. Positive immunofluorescence was not observed with progressive sera. Complement-dependent cytotoxic activity against L1210 cells was first detected 5 days after immunotherapy, and increased for several weeks. A high level of cytotoxic activity correlated with successful therapy, whereas low levels were found in treated mice with recurring tumors. Serum cytotoxicity was not detected in untreated mice with progressively growing tumors.

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