Objective: To investigate the role of dendritomas from fusion of human dendritic cells (DCs) and colon cancer cells in the activation of anti-tumor MHC restricted reaction.
Methods: Human dendritic cells and T cells were isolated from peripheral blood. Dendritomas were generated by fusing the human peripheral blood dendritic cells with human colon cancer cells of the SW480 line using 50% polyethylene glycol (PEG). T cells were cultured. Dendritomas and DCs were added into the culture respectively. The activation ratio of T lymphocytes was observed by MTT method. ELISA was used to detect the content of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in the supernatant.
Results: The activation ratios of CD4(+)Th1 and CD8(+)Tc1 cells were 57.45% and 77.86 % respectively 24 hours after the T cell were mixed with dendritomas, both significantly higher than those of the controls. The proliferation of T cells mixed with dendritomas was significantly higher than that of the controls (P < 0.01); The IFN-gamma secretion in the supernatant of the T cell culture 24 hours after mixing with the dendritomas was significantly higher than that of the control (P < 0.01).
Conclusion: The strategy of dendritomas effectively activates the anti-tumor MHC-I and MHC-II reactions and promoted the proliferation of T cells.