Objective To study the mechanism of immune hyporesponsiveness of allograft rejection induced by transfusion nonpufsed allopeptide syngeneic immature dendritic cell (imDC) generated from recipient bone marrow progenitors and to explore a possible strategy for liver allograft protection in clinic. Methods Forty experimental rats were randomly divided into 4 group: control group, cyclosporine A (CsA) group, mature DC (mDC) group and imDC group. In control group, Wistar rats only received liver transplantation. In CsA group, Wistar rats underwent liver transplantation plus CsA treatment 〔10 mg/（kg·d)〕. In mDC group, recipient-derived mDC 1×106 were infused intravenously through the penile vein to Wistar rats. In imDC group, ImDC with the dose of 1×106 were injected into Wistar rats via the dorsum vein of penile. In each group, five recipients were killed on the 10th day after transplantation, the other five recipients were left to observe survival time. The levels of ALT, AST, TBIL, IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-10 were detected. The acute rejection and the expression of FasL/Fas in the grafts were detected by HE and immunohistochemical staining. Western blot was used to detect Scurfin protein expression of CD4+ CD25+ T cells. Results The median survival time of the liver allografts in CsA group and imDC group were significantly longer than that in control group and mDC group ( P ＜ 0.05). The levels of ALT and TBIL in control group and mDC group were significantly higher than those in CsA group and imDC group ( P ＜ 0.05). Compared with CsA group and imDC group, the levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ were higher but the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were lower in control group and mDC group ( P ＜ 0.01). Slightly or no rejection reaction was found in CsA group and imDC group ( P ＜ 0.05). The Scurfin protein expressions of CD4+ CD25+ T cells of imDC group were significantly higher than those of other three groups. Conclusion Application of nonpufsed allopeptide syngeneic recipient-derived imDC is an effective way to induce immune hyporesponsiveness by blocking indirect recognition in rat liver transplantation model. Survival span is significantly prolonged by its protective effect. The mechanism of immune hyporesponsiveness induced by imDC transfusion might be involved in some aspects: T cell apoptosis, immune deviation of Thl/Th2 cytokine net and inhibition of T lymphocytes responsiveness by regulatory T cells.
Fungal infection is an important clinical problem for patients with immune deficiency or immunosuppression. With deadly fungus infection case increasing, the development of antifungal vaccine attracts the attention of researchers. Dendritic cell (DC) is the unique antigen presenting cell (APC) to trigger the antifungal immune reaction, and recent studies indicate that the targeted vaccination strategy based on DC have prospective antifungal potentials. In this paper, we review the antifungal immunity mechanism and recent development of the targeted DC antifungal strategy.
Objective To investigate immunological therapeutic effect and safety of dendritic cells (DCs) combined with heat shock protein 70 (HSP70)-peptide complex (PC) derived from autogeneic hepatoma tissue. Methods Thirty patients with hepatocellular carcinoma from February 2010 to February 2015 in the Gaochun People’s Hospital of Nanjing and The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University were studied, and subsequently were divided into an immunotherapy group (treated with HSP70-PC/DCs vaccine,n=15) and a chemotherapy group (n=15) according to the prescribed postoperative treatment methods. The levels of T lymphocyte subtypes were assayed by FACS. The toxicity adverse reactions, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), CA19-9, hepatic tumor recurrence rate, survival rate, and KPS of two groups patients were evaluated and compared between these two groups. Results ① The values of CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and CD3CD56 had no significant differences between the immunotherapy group and the chemotherapy group before treatment (P>0.05), which in the immunotherapy group were significantly higher than those in the chemotherapy group after treatment (P<0.05), and which were significantly higher in the immunotherapy group after treatment as compared with the levels before treatment (P<0.05), and which had no significant differences in the chemotherapy group between after treatment and before treatment (P>0.05). ② Before treatment, the levels of AFP and CA19-9 had no significant differences between the immunotherapy group and the chemotherapy group (P>0.05), which in the immunotherapy group were significantly lower than those in the chemotherapy group after treatment (P<0.05). In the immunotherapy group, the levels of AFP and CA19-9 after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (t=2.564，P=0.021；t=2.011，P=0.041), which in the chemotherapy group before treatment were decreased as compared with the levels before treatment (t=2.221,P=0.036;t=2.487,P=0.066). ③ The patients treated with the HSP-PC/DCs vaccines was well tolerated and no obvious toxicity was appeared. ④ All the patients were followed up 5–19 months with median follow-up time of 9 months. The median survival time was 560 d and 436 d in the immunotherapy group and the chemotherapy group, respectively. After treatment, KPS score was significantly higher and recurrence rate was significantly lower in the immunotherapy group as compared with the chemotherapy group (P<0.05). The total survival had no significant difference between the immunotherapy group and the chemotherapy group (P>0.05). Conclusions The preliminary results of limited cases in this study show that HSP70-PC/DC vaccination is safe and effective in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, the pulsed DCs are effective in activating specific T-cell responses against hepatocellular carcinoma cells. HSP70-PC/DC vaccine might improve immunity and prevent postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent and specialized antigen-presenting cells (APCs) currently known, which play a crucial role in initiating and amplifying both the innate and adaptive immune responses. During the process of immune function, migration ability of DCs and the number of effector T cells which activated by DCs are closely related to the efficiency of immune function. However, because of the complexity of immune system, in the immune response process caused by the skin chronic inflammatory, much is still unknown about the dynamic changes of cell count with time. Therefore, we created a differential equations model to reflect the initial stages of the immune response process caused by the skin chronic inflammatory via setting the function and initial conditions of parameters. The results showed that the model was able to simulate migration and proliferation of cells in vivo within realistic time scales in accordance with the proliferation and migration efficiency in real terms. In addition, the preliminary model can biologically predict the realistic dynamics of DCs and T cells at different time points. All these results may provide a theoretical reference for studying the immune function of DCs as well as guiding the clinical treatment for immune related diseases further.
ObjectiveTo investigate relationship between liver non-parenchymal cells and hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI).MethodThe relevant literatures on researches of the relationship between HIRI and liver non-parenchymal cells were analyzed and reviewed.ResultsDuring HIRI, hepatocytes could be severely damaged by aseptic inflammatory reaction and apoptosis. The liver non-parenchymal cells included Kupffer cells, sinusoidal endothelial cells, hepatic stellate cells, and dendritic cells, which could release a variety of cytokines and inflammatory mediators to promote the damage, and some liver non-parenchymal cells also had effect on reducing HIRI, for example: Kupffer cells could express heme oxygenase-1 to reduce HIRI, and hepatic stellate cells may participate in the repair process after HIRI. The role of liver non-parenchymal cells in HIRI was complex, but it also had potential therapeutic value.ConclusionLiver non-parenchymal cells can affect HIRI through a variety of mechanisms, which provide new goals and strategies for clinical reduction of HIRI.
ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and clinical efficacy of dendritic cell (DC)-cytokine induced killer (CIK) cell adoptive immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer after radical gastrectomy.MethodsForty-eight patients with gastric cancer after the radical gastrectomy receiving the DC-CIK cell adoptive immunotherapy combined with XELOX or FOLFOX chemotherapy were enrolled as a study group in the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2014 to January 2016. In addition, 48 patients with gastric cancer after the radical gastrectomy in the same period and only receiving XELOX or FOLFOX chemotherapy were collected as a control group. The CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, CD3–CD56+ (NK cell), and CD3+CD56+ (NKT cell), toxic reaction, quality of life were evaluated in both groups before and after the treatment, and the long term effect were compared in both groups.Results① There were no significant differences in the gender, age, clinical stage, etc. between the two groups (P>0.05). ② The CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, CD3–CD56+, and CD3+CD56+ cells in the peripheral blood had no significant changes between before and after treatment in the study group (P>0.05), which were decreased after the treatment in the control group as compared with before the treatment and were significantly lower than those in the study group (P<0.05). ③ The levels of CEA, CA19-9, and CA724 in the peripheral blood after the treatment in the study group and the control group were significantly lower than those before the treatment (P<0.05), which in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group after the treatment (P<0.05). ④ The incidences of leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and diarrhea in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). ⑤ Compared with before the treatment, the body function and emotional function after the treatment were significantly improved in the study group (P<0.05). And in the body function, emotion function, role function, cognitive function, and social function were significantly improved than those in the control group (P<0.05) after the treatment. ⑥ The progression-free survival in the study group was significantly better than that in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the overall survival between the study group and the control group (P>0.05).ConclusionDC-CIK cell adoptive immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy could significantly improve immune status and quality of life of patients with gastric cancer after radical gastrectomy, reduce adverse effects of chemotherapy, improve long term effect, and prolong progression-free survival.
Objective To investigate the expression of Bloom syndrome (BLM) helicase and tumor infiltrating dendritic cells (TIDC) in colon cancer tissues and their relationship with the prognosis of patients after surgery. Methods Onehundred and sixty-eight patients with colon cancer who underwent surgical resection in our hospital from June 2014 to August 2016 were selected as the research objects. The specimens of surgically resected colon cancer tissues and adjacent tissues archived by the pathology department were obtained, and the expression of BLM helicase and TIDC density were detected by immunohistochemistry. Pearson was used to analyze the correlation between BLM helicase expression and TIDC density, and the relationship between the expression of BLM helicase and TIDC density and the clinicopathological features of colon cancer was analyzed by using χ2 test or Wilcoxon rank test. The influencing factors of postoperative survival of patients with colon cancer were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results The relative expression of BLM helicase in colon cancer tissues was higher than that in adjacent tissues (1.49±0.33 vs. 1.02±0.17), while the TIDC density was lower than that in adjacent tissues [(9.53±2.36)% vs. (12.36±2.37)%], the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a negative correlation between the expression of BLM helicase and TIDC density (r=–0.588, P<0.05). The expression of BLM helicase and TIDC density were correlated with tumor differentiation, clinical stage and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). That is, those with high expression of BLM helicase and low density of TIDC had low degree of tumor differentiation, late clinical grade, and higher ratio of lymph node metastasis. Sixty-three cases died (37.5%) during the follow-up period (16–60 months, medium follow up 45 months). Log-rank analysis showed that the 5-year cumulative survival rate of the BLM helicase-low expression group was higher than that of the high expression group, and that of the TIDC-low density group was lower than that of the high density group (P<0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that the high expression of BLM helicase, low density of TIDC, low degree of tumor differentiation, late stage and lymph node metastasis were risk factors affecting the postoperative survival of patients with colon cancer (P<0.05). Conclusion The abnormal expression of BLM helicase and TIDC density in colon cancer tissues are related to the degree of differentiation and lymph node metastasis, which are risk factors affecting the long-term survival of patients with colon cancer.