Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Measurement of Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity and Migration in the Context of Hepatic Tumor Cells
06:55

Measurement of Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity and Migration in the Context of Hepatic Tumor Cells

Published on: February 22, 2020

19.6K

Lidocaine Stimulates the Function of Natural Killer Cells in Different Experimental Settings

Juan P Cata1,2, Maria F Ramirez2,3, Jose F Velasquez2,4

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, U.S.A. jcata@mdanderson.org.

Anticancer Research
|September 6, 2017
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Lidocaine enhances natural killer (NK) cell function and stimulates anti-cancer activity. This suggests lidocaine may be beneficial perioperatively to mitigate surgery-induced NK cell impairment.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cancer Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial for eliminating cancer cells.
  • NK cell activity is regulated by surface receptors, and lidocaine is known to stimulate NK cell function.
  • The impact of lidocaine on NK cell receptor expression and function in cancer patients remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate lidocaine's effect on NK cell surface receptor expression.
  • To determine if lidocaine uniformly stimulates NK cells across various cancer cell lines.
  • To assess lidocaine's enhancement of NK cell function in patients undergoing oncological surgery.

Main Methods:

  • NK cells were isolated from healthy donors and cancer patients.
  • NK cell function was assessed using lactate dehydrogenase release assays.
  • Flow cytometry analyzed lidocaine's impact on NK cell receptors (CD57, NKG2A, NKG2D).

Main Results:

  • Lidocaine increased NKG2D receptor expression and NK cell function against ovarian and pancreatic cancer cell lines.
  • Lidocaine enhanced the cytolytic activity of NK cells from most oncological surgery patients, excluding orthopedic procedures.

Conclusions:

  • Lidocaine demonstrates significant NK cell stimulatory activity.
  • Lidocaine may serve as a perioperative agent to counteract surgery-induced NK cell suppression.
Keywords:
Lidocainecancer cellscytotoxicitynatural killer cells

More Related Videos

Teasing Out the Interplay Between Natural Killer Cells and Nociceptor Neurons09:40

Teasing Out the Interplay Between Natural Killer Cells and Nociceptor Neurons

Published on: June 30, 2022

2.7K
Dextran Enhances the Lentiviral Transduction Efficiency of Murine and Human Primary NK Cells08:42

Dextran Enhances the Lentiviral Transduction Efficiency of Murine and Human Primary NK Cells

Published on: January 15, 2018

11.7K

Related Concept Videos

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
7.6K
Cells of the Innate Immune Response01:28

Cells of the Innate Immune Response

The innate immune response is an immediate and non-specific response against pathogens, acting swiftly to prevent the spread of infections. The primary cells involved in this response are phagocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...
9.8K
Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes01:25

Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes

Immune surveillance is an integral part of the innate immune system, involving the continuous monitoring of peripheral tissues to detect and respond to pathogens, infected cells, or cancerous cells. This surveillance is conducted primarily by natural killer (NK) cells and phagocytes, which employ distinct but complementary mechanisms to identify and eliminate threats.
Natural Killer Cells: The Fast Responders
NK cells are large granular lymphocytes found in the blood and lymphatic system. These...
9.0K
Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens01:29

Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens

The immune system's response to viral infections is a complex and coordinated process involving natural killer (NK) cells, T cell-mediated responses, and antibody-mediated responses.
NK Cells
NK cells are a crucial part of our innate immune system, acting as the first line of defense against viral infections. These cells can recognize and kill infected cells without prior exposure to the virus, effectively slowing down the spread of infection. Additionally, NK cells produce proinflammatory...
2.2K
Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers01:24

Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers

Local anesthetics (LAs) block the sodium channels of nerve trunks, sensory nerve endings, and neuromuscular junctions. Although LAs can block all kinds of nerves, the sensitivity of nerve fibers differs according to nerve types and structures. LAs are known to block myelinated fibers faster than unmyelinated ones. Also, they block pain or sensory neurons at low concentrations without affecting the motor neurons involved in muscle contractions. This helps relieve labor pain without affecting the...
1.5K