Augmentation of antitumor immune responses by multiple intratumoral inoculations of replication-conditional HSV and interleukin-12

J Immunother. 2004 Mar-Apr;27(2):92-8. doi: 10.1097/00002371-200403000-00002.

Abstract

Intratumoral inoculation with a herpes simplex virus (HSV) mutant, G207, as an in situ cancer vaccine has been shown to inhibit tumor growth by inducing tumor-specific immune responses. Here, as a step toward the clinical application of this therapeutic approach, we evaluated different protocols for enhancing the antitumor effect. First, in a bilaterally established tumor model with CT26 colon carcinoma, we demonstrated that multiple intratumoral inoculations with G207 induced a greater antitumor effect on both the inoculated and distant tumors than did 1 or 2 inoculations. Second, to boost this antitumor effect, we developed 2 strategies: multiple in situ cancer vaccines with G207 in combination with systemic administration of recombinant interleukin-12 (rIL-12) (G207/systemic rIL-12) or local administration of rIL-12 (G207/local rIL-12). The antitumor effects in both the inoculated and distant tumors by the combined treatments were significantly greater than by either G207 or rIL-12 treatment alone. G207/systemic rIL-12 and G207/local rIL-12 mediated the complete regression of both the inoculated and distant tumors in 67% and 79% of the animals, respectively. These results indicate that multiple intratumoral inoculations of G207 and systemic or local rIL-12 administration work synergistically to facilitate tumor regression and that this combination of treatments may have potential for treating cancer metastasis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cancer Vaccines / chemistry*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Chromium Radioisotopes / metabolism
  • Colonic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy / methods*
  • Interleukin-12 / chemistry*
  • Interleukin-12 / genetics
  • Interleukin-12 / immunology*
  • Interleukin-12 / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Neoplasm Transplantation
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Simplexvirus / genetics*
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Cancer Vaccines
  • Chromium Radioisotopes
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Interleukin-12