USE OF SODIUM ASCORBATE AND POLY I-C IN CONJUNCTION WITH A MYCOBACTERIAL ANTIGEN COMPLEX AS CANCER PREVENTIVE IMMUNOTHERAPY

It has been previously shown that mice pretreated with A60, an immunod ominant mycobacterial antigen complex, show increased resistance to im plantation of various tumor types. It is also known that vitamin C and poly I:C also have antitumor activities. This study was conducted to determine whether these two products, utilized as adjuvant pretreatmen ts with A60, could act synergistically and increase resistance to tumo r implantation. Mice were immunized with the three substances in diffe rent combinations before tumor challenge. Afterwards, oncological inde xes, antibody productions, delayed type hypersensitivity reactions, ly mphocyte proliferations and macrophage activations were measured. The results of these investigations show that each factor, used separately as complementary pretreatments to A60, significantly increase immune responses and survival rates, and that the effects are even stronger w hen complete pretreatment, with all three substances, is performed.