Reaction of Immune System on Chemical Carcinogens

Metabolism of carcinogens and their influence on the function of immunocompetent cells is quite well studied. However, well known view among immunologists and oncologists concerning the unambiguously inhibiting carcinogen action on immunity and failure of immunological surveillance is not quite correct. In 1937 H. Greech et al. were the first who reported that the immunization of animals with dibenzanthracene conjugates with proteins results in the appearance of antibodies to these carcinogens and inhibits the development of dibenzanthracene induced tumors. Antibodies and adducts carcinogen-DNA were found out in healthy individuals, subjected to strong carcinogen action. Using the conjugates carcinogen-protein, antibodies to carcinogens were revealed in cancer patients. However, antibodies were not detected in all the donors, having adducts; antibody binding to carcinogens was higher in cancer patients, than in healthy individuals; frequency detection of antibodies to carcinogens was considerably higher than in healthy donors. Anti-idiotypic antibodies to carcinogens have been appeared to be revealed by us in cancer patients (Glushkov et al., 1995). In a number of cases the appearance of anti-idiotypes (Ab2) was associated with absence of autoantibodies to carcinogens (Ab1). Individual isotypic differences in antibodygenesis seem to a larger degree to determine the proportion of organ and tissue resistance to carcinogen.