Induction of potent antitumour natural-killer cells from peripheral blood of patients with advanced prostate cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether antitumour natural-killer (NK) cells can be induced from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with advanced prostate cancer, as cell therapy using antitumour immune cells is a promising candidate treatment but such patients generally have a suppressed immune response against cancer cells.


METHODS
PBMCs were obtained from 10 patients (four with stage D2 and six with stage B or C disease). For the NK cell expansion, PBMCs were co-cultured with irradiated HFWT cells, a cell line originating from Wilms' tumour, in RHAM alpha culture medium supplemented with 5% autologous plasma and interleukin-2 (200 U/mL) for 2 weeks.


RESULTS
When PBMCs were co-cultured with HFWT cells, lymphocytes from all patients had a 20- to 130-fold expansion after 2 weeks of culture. The CD16+ CD56+ cells constituted >70% of the proliferated lymphocyte population. The induced NK cells had significantly greater cytotoxicity against a prostate cancer cell line (PC-3) than lymphocytes cultured with no HFWT cells. There was no significant difference in growth and phenotypes of lymphocytes and the induced NK cell activity between patients with stage D2, B or C.


CONCLUSIONS
NK cells with potent cytotoxic activity against prostate cancer cell lines from patients with advanced prostate cancer were selectively expanded. Further investigation is needed to determine whether this approach could be a candidate for cell therapy for advanced prostate cancer.
Oikawa
T
T
Department of Urology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
Kawai
K
K
Ishiwata
I
I
Ohno
T
T
Akaza
H
H
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000379:methods; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*
D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I