Studies on the mechanism of the anti-melanoma effect of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (PIC). II. Decreased growth of B-16 melanoma from prior exposure to the tumor. Abrogation of this response by PIC

Effect of poly I:C/poly-L-lysine (poly ICL) on the development of murine osteogenic sarcoma

Poly I:C/poly-L-lysine (poly ICL) was effective in preventing or delaying the development of osteogenic sarcoma (OGS) in mice. C57BL/6J mice were inoculated subcutaneously with 5 X 10(4) OGS cells and treatment was evaluated by palpable tumor development and subsequent day of death. A significant antitumor effect resulted from injection of 150 microgram of poly ICL into the tumor site starting immediately after tumor implant and followed by four subsequent treatments. Seventy percent of treated animals remained tumor free at 50 days, a time at which 70% of placebo treated animals had died as a result of tumor development. A similar treatment regimen of mice inoculated with 2 X 10(5) OGS cells resulted in a significant delay of time to tumor and subsequent day of death. Treatments with poly ICL were ineffective if they were initiated after development of palpable tumor or if they were administered at a nontumorous site on the animal. These findings indicate that the optimal therapy resulted from repeated intratumor treatment prior to development of extensive tumor burden.

Retention of antimelanoma effect of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid in neonatally thymectomized, irradiated, leukopenic mice

Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (PIC), a synthetic polyribonucleotide, inhibits the growth of B16 malignant melanoma in C57BL/6 mice. Since PIC has been reported to augment immune responses, we tested the hypothesis that the antitumor effect of PIC against B16 melanoma is via immune stimulation. Mice were neonatally thymectomized or neonatally thymectomized and subsequently irradiated to suppress their immune reactivity. In such animals PIC retained its ability to inhibit the growth of B16 melanoma, in the face of profound leukopenia and lymphopenia, suggesting that its antimelanoma effect is probably not mediated by augmentation of the host's immune antitumor response.