Anti-tumor efficacy of a hepatocellular carcinoma vaccine based on dendritic cells combined with tumor-derived autophagosomes in murine models

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2013;14(5):3109-16. doi: 10.7314/apjcp.2013.14.5.3109.

Abstract

The majority of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients have a poor prognosis with current therapies, and new approaches are urgently needed. We have developed a novel therapeutic cancer vaccine platform based on tumor cell derived autophagosomes (DRibbles) for cancer immunotherapy. We here evaluated the effectiveness of DRibbles-pulsed dendritic cell (DC) immunization to induce anti-tumor immunity in BALB/c mouse HCC and humanized HCC mouse models generated by transplantation of human HCC cells (HepG2) into BALB/c-nu mice. DRibbles were enriched from H22 or BNL cells, BALB/c-derived HCC cell lines, by inducing autophagy and blocking protein degradation. DRibbles-pulsed DC immunization induced a specific T cell response against HCC and resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth compared to mice treated with DCs alone. Anti- tumor efficacy of the DCs-DRibbles vaccine was also demonstrated in a humanized HCC mouse model. The results indicated that HCC/DRibbles-pulsed DCs immunotherapy might be useful for suppressing the growth of residual tumors after primary therapy of human HCC.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis
  • Autophagy*
  • Blotting, Western
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Cancer Vaccines / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / immunology
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / prevention & control*
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy*
  • Interferon-gamma / metabolism
  • Liver Neoplasms / immunology
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology
  • Liver Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Phagosomes*
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Cancer Vaccines
  • Interferon-gamma