thymic-factor--circulating and Lung-Neoplasms

Topics: Animals; Fibrosarcoma; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Thymic Factor, Circulating; Thymosin; Thymus Hormones

Melatonin (MEL) may counteract tumors through a direct oncostatic role. MEL is also an antistress agent with immunoenhancing properties against tumors due to a suppressive role of MEL on corticosterone release. Rotational stress (RS) (spatial disorientation) facilitates metastasis progression in mice. Also, MEL counteracts tumors because of its influence on immune responses via the metabolic zinc pool, which, is reduced in tumors and stress. Zinc is required for normal thymic endocrine activity (i.e. thymulin) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production. Because in vivo data is still controversial, exogenous MEL treatment (22 days in drinking water) in both intact and pinealectomized (px) mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma leads to significant decrements of metastasis volume, restoration of the negative crude zinc balance, recovery of thymulin activity and increment of IL-2 exclusively in intact and px tumor bearing mice subjected to RS. Significant inverse correlations are found in both stressed intact and px tumor bearing mice after MEL treatment between zinc and corticosterone (r = 0.78, P < 0.01; r = 0.80, P < 0.01, respectively). Positive correlations between zinc and IL-2 (r = 0.75, P < 0.01; r = 0.73, P < 0.01, respectively) or thymulin (r = 0.75, P < 0.01; r = 0.82, P < 0.01, respectively) are observed in same models of mice. These findings suggest a MEL action to decrease metastasis mediated by a possible interplay between zinc and MEL, via corticosterone, with consequent restoration of thymic efficiency and IL-2 production. MEL as an antistress agent with immunoenhancing properties in cancer deserves further consideration.nuclear factor-kb; POMC, proopiomelanocortin; Px, pinealectomized mice; RIA, radioimmunoassay; RS, rotational stress; SDI, stressed intact mice; SDPx, stressed pinealectomized mice; TNF-alpha, tumor necrosis factor-alpha; ZnFTS, active zinc-bound thymulin; ZnFTS + FTS, total thymulin.

Topics: Animal Feed; Animals; Corticosterone; Disease Progression; Feces; Female; Interleukin-2; Lung Neoplasms; Melatonin; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred DBA; Neoplasm Transplantation; Neoplasms, Experimental; Pineal Gland; Stress, Psychological; Thymic Factor, Circulating; Water; Zinc

We have studied the mechano-electrochemical activation of optical emission (mechanoluminescence, ML) from the surface of lymphocytes. In C57BL/6 mice with B16 melanoma at the terminal stage of tumour growth and after immunotherapy with thymic agents, there is a correlation between light emission and the value of lymphocyte surface charge and titres of thymic serum factor (FTS).

Topics: Adult; Animals; Antigens, Surface; Humans; Immunotherapy; Luminescent Measurements; Lung Neoplasms; Lymphocytes; Male; Melanoma, Experimental; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Middle Aged; Reference Values; T-Lymphocytes; Thymic Factor, Circulating; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

The influence of thymus factor X--TFX (Polfa) and an anti-TFX rabbit gammaglobulin (RATFX) on the growth of Lewis lung carcinoma in mice was studied. The preparations were administered subcutaneously into the peritumoral region. Tumor growth was significantly retarded in the RATFX-treated groups, while a low dose TFX therapy was ineffective. No significant differences in peritumoral inflammatory reaction in treated and untreated mice were found.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Cell Division; Immunoglobulins; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Mice; Neoplasms, Experimental; Rabbits; Thymic Factor, Circulating; Thymus Hormones

Adrenalectomy prevents thymic atrophy but not splenomegaly in mice implanted with Lewis Lung carcinoma cells. Surprisingly, the presence of the tumor does not lead to increased levels of corticosterone, which argues against an exclusive role of stress in the tumor-induced involution of the thymus. Interestingly, serum from tumor-bearing hosts in vitro displays strong cytolytic activity against normal syngeneic thymocytes. This thymocytotoxicity depends upon the stage of tumor development, i.e., the size of the local tumor, and is concomitant with the severe thymic atrophy. Treatment of donor mice with zinc chloride or excision of the local tumor, both of which have been shown to prevent this involution of the thymus, also abolishes the cytotoxic effect of the serum. The active component of the serum is a nonimmunoglobulin fraction of molecular weight greater than 25,000 Da. The possible mechanisms of tumor-dependent thymic atrophy as well as the in vivo relevance of this serum-mediated thymocytotoxicity are discussed.

Topics: Adrenalectomy; Animals; Antilymphocyte Serum; Atrophy; Carcinoma; Cell Count; Cell Survival; Corticosterone; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; Female; Killer Cells, Natural; Lung Neoplasms; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neoplasm Transplantation; Organ Size; Spleen; T-Lymphocytes; Thymic Factor, Circulating; Thymus Gland

Modulation of thymic natural killer (NK) cell activity by the serum thymic factor (thymulin or FTS-Zn) was demonstrated in mice carrying the Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL). Thymulin decreased the increased NK activity found in amputated (tumor) tumor-bearing mice and induced a significant NK activity in nonamputated mice, normally devoid of such activity. Zinc had no effect in either case. Histological studies revealed that zinc prevented the tumor-induced thymic atrophy. A clear-cut decrease in the number of lung metastases was observed in zinc-treated mice. This effect was suppressed by concomitant administration of thymulin to amputated mice. The thymic dependency of the anti-metastatic action of zinc as well as the mode of action of thymulin on NK cell activity in tumor-bearing animals is discussed.

Topics: Animals; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; Female; Killer Cells, Natural; Lung Neoplasms; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neoplasms, Experimental; Organ Size; Thymectomy; Thymic Factor, Circulating; Thymus Gland; Thymus Hormones; Zinc

C57BL/6 mice were injected subcutaneously with Lewis-tumor cells and syngeneic spleen lymphocytes. When these lymphocytes had been preincubated with a thymic extract, tumor development was impaired: the tumor weight and volume were significantly decreased and the number and size of lung metastases were strikingly diminished. In addition, the increase in weight of adrenals and spleen, common in tumor-bearing animals, was not observed. Lymphocytes incubated with a thymic factor preparation can therefore enhance the defense against this tumor.

Topics: Adrenal Glands; Animals; Lung Neoplasms; Lymphocytes; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neoplasms, Experimental; Organ Size; Spleen; Thymic Factor, Circulating; Thymus Gland; Thymus Hormones