[Enhanced immune functions and antitumor activity of fibroblast-mediated interleukin-2 gene therapy]

The aim of the present study was to establish fibroblastmediated IL-2 gene therapy and to observe its antitumor effect in the mouse tumor model. The IL-2 gene-transfected fibroblasts (NIH3T3-IL-2+) secreting high level of IL-2 were encapsulated with collagen and then implanted i.p. into mice. Certain level of IL-2 could be detected in murine serum for some periods, and the splenic proliferation, NK and LAK activities, cytokine production (IFN-v, TNF, IL-2) were enhanced significantly. It was of great importance that the high endogenous LAK activity was induced. The significant therapeutic effect of i.p. implantation of NIH3T3-IL-2+ on ascitic liver carcinoma-bearing mice was observed. The better therapeutic results could be achieved. NIH3T3-IL-2+ cells were i.p. implanted in combination with i.p. injection of LAK cells. These results demonstrated that fibroblast--mediated IL-2 gene therapy has potent antitumor effect via augmentation of immune functions and the antitumor effect will be more obvious when IL-2 gene therapy is used along with the adoptive transfer of LAK cells.