title: Dietary supplementation with L-arginine: modulation of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dietary supplementation with L-arginine enhances natural cytotoxicity in peripheral blood lymphocytes but its effect on infiltrating lymphoreticular cells within a tumour microenvironment is unknown. The effects of dietary supplementation with L-arginine on tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in patients with colorectal cancer were evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen patients received either a standard hospital diet (controls) or a standard diet supplemented with 30 g per day of L-arginine for 3 days before surgery. Tumour biopsies were taken at surgery and lymphocyte subsets (CD antigens) and macrophages examined immunohistochemically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tumours from patients receiving L-arginine contained increased numbers of specific cell subsets within the tumour which expressed CD16 (P = 0.004) and CD56 (P = 0.001) surface markers, when compared with tumours from control patients. There were no differences in the total number of T and B cells, T helper and T suppressor cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dietary supplementation with L-arginine significantly alter the spectrum of TILs in human colorectal cancers in vivo. These findings have important implications for new strategies in anticancer treatment.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Nutrition and Metabolism Unit, University of Aberdeen, UK.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Heys
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Segar
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kernohan
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Eremin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017452:Receptors, IgG / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017452:Receptors, IgG; D001120:Arginine