Percentages of NKT cells in the tissues of patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent surgical treatment.
BACKGROUND
Natural killer T (NKT) cells are involved in the antitumor response by direct cytotoxicity and indirectly through activation of effector cells. Recent studies have shown a relationship between the number and function of NKT cells and clinical outcomes. NKT cells seem to represent a promising tool for immunotherapy of cancer.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to evaluate the distribution of NKT cells in peripheral blood, lymph nodes and tumor tissue of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, as well as development of the most efficient set of cytokines stimulating differentiation of NKT cells.


METHODS
We evaluated the percentage of iNKT+CD3+ cells in the tissues collected from patients with NSCLC. For the generation of NKT cells, we cultured cells isolated from the blood of 20 healthy donors and from the tissues of 4 NSCLC patients. Cells were stimulated with α-GalCer in combinations with cytokines.


RESULTS
We noted significant differences in the percentages of NKT cells in the patients' tissues. The highest percentage of these cells was observed in the tumor tissue and the lowest in the lymph nodes. In vitro, in healthy donors all α-GalCer-cytokine combinations were effective in stimulation of NKT cells' proliferation. NKT cells' proliferation was the most efficiently stimulated by α-GalCer+IL-2+IL-7 and α-GalCer+IL-2+IFN-γ.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that in the course of NSCLC, NKT cells migrate to the primary tumor and accumulate therein. All tested combinations of α-GalCer and cytokines were capable of generation of NKT cells in vitro.
Chair and Department of Clinical Immunology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
Maria
M
Pyszniak
Chair and Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Lublin, SPSK 4, Lublin, Poland.
Paweł
P
Rybojad
Chair and Department of Clinical Immunology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
Katarzyna
K
Pogoda
Chair and Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Lublin, SPSK 4, Lublin, Poland.
Andrzej
A
Jabłonka
Chair and Department of Clinical Immunology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
Agnieszka
A
Bojarska-Junak
Chair and Department of Clinical Immunology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
Jacek
J
Tabarkiewicz
NKT; NSCLC; lymph nodes; peripheral blood; tumor