Correlation of the therapeutic effect of activated tumor-draining lymph node cells with specific interferon-gamma production in vitro

It has been established that lymphocytes obtained from tumor-draining lymph nodes (DLN) are sensitized to the tumor antigen in vivo. Moreover, after b eing activated in vitro, these cells can be utilized for adoptive immunothe rapy. In the present study, DLN cells, obtained from C57BL/6 mice with fibr osarcoma (MC-1), were activated and expanded with anti-CD3 monoclonal antib ody followed by culture with recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2), These CD4(- ) CD8(+) CD25(+) CD44(+) T-cells shelved specific antitumor efficacy to the pulmonary micrometastases of an autologous tumor, against which lymphokine -activated killer cells were ineffective; however, they did not show cytoly tic activity in vitro. The supernatant, obtained by coculturing the activat ed DLN cells with MC-1 cells, exhibited the specific production of interfer on-gamma (IFN-gamma) which was enhanced by rIL-2, The therapeutic effect of the activated DLN cells correlated with the specific IFN-gamma production better than with the cytolytic activity.