Percutaneous peptide immunization via corneum barrier-disrupted murine skin for experimental tumor immunoprophylaxis

H-2K(b)-restricted tumor epitope peptides, including tyrosinase-related pro tein 2 residues 181-188 (TRP-2) and connexin 37 residues 52-59 (MUT1), were applied to permeability barrier-disrupted C57BL/6 (B6) mouse skin from whi ch the stratum corneum of the epidermis had been removed by tape-stripping. This procedure primed tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in the lymph nodes and spleen, protected mice against subsequent challenge with c orresponding tumor cells, and suppressed the growth of established tumors. Preventive and therapeutic effectiveness was correlated with the frequency of tumor-specific CTL precursors. MHC class II Ia(b+) cells separated from tape-stripped skin, compared with those from intact skin, exhibited a stron g antigen-presenting capacity for CTL, suggesting that CTL expansion after peptide application is primarily mediated by epidermal Langerhans cells. Th us, percutaneous peptide immunization via barrier-disrupted skin provides a simple and noninvasive means of inducing potent anti-tumor immunity which may be exploited for cancer immunotherapy.