Immunotherapeutic effects of T11TS/S-LFA3 against nitrosocompound mediated neural genotoxicity

Nitrosocompounds formed by the interaction of nitrites and secondary amines are neurotoxic in human and different rodent species. Human exposure of nitrosocompounds are widespread affected by different modes like nitrite/nitrate preserved foods, beverages like beer, formed in the stomach following uptake of the precursors nitrates, nitrites and secondary amines. The productions of alkylating metabolites during the breakdown of nitrosocompounds are the causative agents for the neurotoxic changes of the neural cells. An attempt has been made in our lab to study the effect of nitrosocompound mediated toxicity and the gradual toxic effects of these neurotoxic agents to transform the normal glial cells to a neoplastic one. The present study indicated that a transmembrane glycopeptide of sheep red blood cell (SRBC), known as S-LFA3 or T11 target structure (T11TS) applied to nitrosocompound induced animals manifesting a full grown intracranial malignancy can revert back tumor-bearing condition to the normal physiological state. Young Druckray rat of both sexes aging 3-5 days were injected with N'-N'-ethyl nitrosourea (ENU) intraperitoneally (i.p.) at a single dose of 80 mg/kg body weight to simulate nitrosocompound mediated neurotoxicity. 2-,4-, 6-, 8-, and 10-month-old neonatal ENU induced animals were sacrificed for growth kinetics, functional immunological parameters and receptor studies to hint at the changes during tumor development. In order to determine the immunomodulatory role of T11TS, 7-month-old ENU induced animals were injected with T11TS at a dose of 0.41 mg/kg body weight, in three consecutive doses at an interval of 6 days maintaining normal control as untreated control and ENU induced animals of age-matched rats as tumor-bearing control. All the immunological parameters, growth kinetic study, receptor-based study by FACS directly established the immunomodulatory, anti-toxic and anti-tumor property of T11TS/S-LFA3. Finally, formation of DNA ladder along with the FACS-based apoptosis study clearly indicated that T11TS is a potent apoptotic inducer in neoplastic neural cells.