Immunotherapy of Lewis lung carcinoma with hydrosoluble peptidoglycan monomer (PGM)

The water-soluble peptidoglycan monomer (PGM) isolated from the culture fluid of Brevibacterium divaricatum, which has immunostimulating activity, has been examined for its antitumor effects in C57BL mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma. The formation of spontaneous lung metastases from SC tumor implants is significantly inhibited. The growth of SC primary tumors, including advanced ones, is also significantly inhibited, though to a less pronounced extent than the growth of metastases. The effects on metastases are evident with all treatment schedules used, whereas those on SC primary tumors are treatment schedule-dependent. The treatment with PGM was found to be therapeutically useful when combined with surgical removal of IM implants; in conditions where a single post-operative treatment was ineffective, combined post-operative and immediately pre-operative administration of PGM significantly increased (by 40%) the survival time of treated animals over that of controls undergoing surgery only.