Therapy of autochthonous skin cancers in mice with intravenously injected liposomes containing muramyltripeptide.
Liposomes containing the immunomodulator muramyltripeptide phosphatidylethanolamine (MTP-PE) or free saline were injected i.v. into BALB/c mice with autochthonous skin cancers induced by chronic exposure to ultraviolet irradiation. Treatment with liposomes containing MTP-PE produced significant retardation in the growth of the primary autochthonous skin cancers and significantly prolonged survival of the treated mice as compared with the saline-treated controls. Since ultraviolet-irradiated mice have a defect in immunological recognition of their autochthonous tumors, the therapeutic effects of liposomes containing MTP-PE are very encouraging. These results suggest that liposomes containing MTP-PE could be used for the treatment of patients with skin cancer or other malignant diseases.
D000119:Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D008081:Liposomes; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
D008081:Liposomes; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D000119:Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine; C035104:muramylNAc-Ala-isoGln-Lys-tripeptide