Modulation of the antimetastatic effect of a single low dose of cyclophosphamide on rat lymphoma

The aim of this paper was to identify the mechanism/s responsible of the antimetastatic effect of a single low dose of cyclophosphamide (Cy), previously demonstrated by us in the rat lymphoma LTACB. No direct cytotoxic antimetastatic activity of Cy could be proved. In vitro treatment of L-TACB cells with mafosfamide did not alter their invasiveness or their motility. The adoptive transfer of splenocytes from Cy-treated tumor-bearing rats, together with L-TACB cells inhibited their metastatic growth. The single low dose Cy treatment of T-immunodeficient nude mice did not show the antimetastatic effect on L-TACB observed in immunocompetent mice. An inhibition of the metastatic ability due to immunomodulation by Cy is proposed.