LONGER LOCAL RETENTION OF ADOPTIVELY TRANSFERRED T-LAK CELLS CORRELATES WITH LESSER ADHESION MOLECULE EXPRESSION THAN NK-LAK CELLS

The local retention of adoptively transferred lymphokine (IL-2)-activa ted killer (LAK) cells was examined in 11 patients with head and neck carcinoma. Unseparated lymphocytes, T and natural killer (NK) cells is olated from patients were cultured with IL-2 for 7 days, labelled with Tc-99m-HMPAO, and immediately injected back into the respective donor s via the superficial temporal artery or locally into the tumour tissu e. The injected LAK cells were periodically traced using a gamma camer a, and the LAK cell retention rate was calculated from the radioactivi ty. One hour after the injection, about 70% of the locally infiltrated LAK cells remained in the tumour tissue, while about half of the LAK cells transferred via the regional artery were dislodged from the tiss ue. LAK cells induced from T cells (T-LAK) were retained in the tissue for a longer time than LAK cells induced from NK cells (NK-LAK). T-LA K were less chemotactic and less adherent to human umbilical vein endo thelial cells (EC), and showed lesser migration through EC. Flow cytom etric analysis revealed higher expression of CD11a, CD11b, CD18 and CD 49d on NK-LAK compared with T-LAK. MoAbs against these adhesion molecu les suppressed adhesion and migration of LAK cells. These results indi cate that the rapid disappearance of NK-LAK from the tissue is associa ted with their greater chemotactic and adhesive as well as migratory a ctivities depending on differing expression of adhesion molecules.