lucifer-yellow and Pancreatic-Neoplasms

We studied dendritic cell (DC) function in patients affected by pancreatic carcinoma, and the possibility of obtaining DC adequate for immunological treatment modalities.. Leucocytes were isolated from buffy coats obtained by autotransfusion of six patients undergoing pancreatico-duodenectomy. The leucocytes were cryopreserved and, after thawing, were purified by density gradient and/or plastic adhesion. They were then cultured in vitro in cytokine-enriched medium (granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulating factor + interleukin-4) with different sources of serum: 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), 2% autologous human serum or 2% pooled human AB serum.. The DC obtained were identical to those from healthy donors in terms of phenotype, antigen uptake capacity, capacity for antigen presentation and their capacity to mature after exposure to stimuli like CD40L. DC differentiated in human serum demonstrated more mature behaviour than did DC cultured in FCS but, after exposure to CD40L, this difference disappeared. In one patient soluble factors in serum were able to inhibit the capacity of DC to stimulate T cells.. It's possible to obtain DC from autotransfusion of patients with pancreatic carcinoma: these cells do not show evident quantitative or qualitative alterations, are able to present soluble antigen even when cultured in the presence of human serum and may be used in immunological tumour treatments.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Animals; Antigen Presentation; Antigens, CD; B7-1 Antigen; B7-2 Antigen; Biological Factors; Blood Physiological Phenomena; Cattle; CD40 Ligand; Cell Differentiation; Cell Separation; Cells, Cultured; Coculture Techniques; Coloring Agents; Cryopreservation; Culture Media; Dendritic Cells; Dextrans; Endocytosis; Fetal Blood; Flow Cytometry; Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; HLA Antigens; Humans; Immunophenotyping; Immunotherapy, Adoptive; Interleukin-4; Isoquinolines; Lymphocyte Activation; Membrane Glycoproteins; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Recombinant Proteins; Species Specificity; T-Lymphocytes; Tetanus Toxin