In vitro activation of murine Kupffer cells by lymphokines or endotoxins to lyse syngeneic tumor cells

Murine Kupffer cells (RC) were isolated in sufficient number and purity to allow in vitro investigations of their tumoricidal capabilities. The identity of the adherent cells as KCs was established by morphologic, histochemical, and functional criteria. The yield of KCs varied from young (high) to old (low) mice but was not affected by the mouse strain. KCs activated in vitro by either endotoxins (lipopolysaccharide) or lymphokines were rendered highly cytotoxic against syngeneic melanoma or fibrosarcoma target cells. These studies indicate that KCs may indeed play a role in destruction of tumor cells in vivo and thus be important in host defense against developing hepatic cancer metastases.

Metastatic behavior of human tumor cell lines grown in the nude mouse

The metastatic behavior of seven human tumor cell lines grown in young (3- to 4-week-old) nude mice was studied. Two cell lines were derived from malignant melanomas, one from a colon carcinoma, two from prostate adenocarcinomas, and two from renal adenocarcinomas. Many of the cell lines produced metastases after i.v. injection (experimental metastasis) and after s.c. transplantation (spontaneous metastasis) into young nude mice. The incidence of metastasis seemed dependent primarily on the biological characteristics of the individual tumor cell line. However, the incidence of metastasis of some tumor cell lines could be increased by isolation and establishment of variant sublines from secondary tumor deposits, by prolonged systemic administration of 17 beta-estradiol to suppress natural killer cell activity, and/or by use of an advantageous site of tumor implantation. Intrasplenic injection of tumor cells allowed the most dramatic overall expression of metastatic capacity in these cell lines, resulting in frequent and large metastases to liver, lungs, and the mesenteric, omental, and mediastinal lymph nodes.