Immunological Characterization Of Whole Tumour Lysate-Loaded Dendritic Cells For Cancer Immunotherapy (Vol 1, E0146622, 2016)

IntroductionDendritic cells play a key role as initiators of T-cell responses, and even if tumour antigen-loaded dendritic cells can induce anti-tumour responses, their efficacy has been questioned, suggesting a need to enhance immunization strategies.Matherials & MethodsWe focused on the characterization of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells pulsed with whole tumour lysate (TAA-DC), as a source of known and unknown antigens, in a mouse model of breast cancer (MMTV-Ras). Dendritic cells were evaluated for antigen uptake and for the expression of MHC class I/II and costimulatory molecules and markers associated with maturation.ResultsResults showed that antigen-loaded dendritic cells are characterized by a phenotypically semi-mature/mature profile and by the upregulation of genes involved in antigen presentation and T-cell priming. Activated dendritic cells stimulated T-cell proliferation and induced the production of high concentrations of IL-12p70 and IFN-gamma but only low levels of IL-10, indicating their ability to elicit a T(H)1-immune response. Furthermore, administration of Antigen loaded-Dendritic Cells in MMTV-Ras mice evoked a strong anti-tumour response in vivo as demonstrated by a general activation of immunocompetent cells and the release of T(H)1 cytokines.ConclusionData herein could be useful in the design of antitumoral DC-based therapies, showing a specific activation of immune system against breast cancer.