ANTI-TUMOR ACTIVITY OF PROPIONIBACTERIUM ACNES (CORYNEBACTERIUM-PARVUM) AND ISOLATED CYTOPLASMIC FRACTIONS

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  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 37  (11) , 4150-4155
Abstract
The tumor-inhibitory effect of an intralesional injection of P. acnes was of limited duration (finite). The present model was the DBA/2 syngeneic mouse injected with P815 mastocytoma cells (5 .times. 105) into each rear footpad. Only the left was treated, leaving the right as a pseudometastasis. The finite effect occurred at .apprx. 21 days after the 1st treatment. Subsequent i.p. treatments with P. acnes did not alter this effect, although they increased mean survival time. With 1 footpad tumor, 22% cures with complete regression and no sign of metastatic growth were achieved. An RNA fraction from P. acnes produced inhibition of tumor growth, but crude cell walls and cell walls treated with pronase had no effect. A P. acnes cytoplasmic fraction with tumor-inhibitory activity was pelleted by high-speed centrifugation. This fraction inhibited P815 mastocytoma as fully as whole cells injected in 1/5 the dose on a N2 basis and did not cause a local inflammatory reaction. The activity of the pellet also differed from whole cells in that it was equally inhibitory to the pseudometastasis in the contralateral right rear footpad. The cytoplasmic fraction apparently contained at least 2 active components since activity was obtained at 2 solution levels. Such activity was relatively stable at 5.degree. C, but was unstable at -30.degree. C.