Correlation Between in Vivo Accumulation and in Vitro Adhesion of Liver associated Lymphocytes in and Around Liver Adenocarcinoma Metastases

Introduction Liver is a major site for formation of metastases. The local immune function of liver is associated with a specific mononuclear cells population transiently retained in the liver, originating most probably from blood. Liver mononuclear cells consist mainly of natural killer (NK) cells, T gamma delta cells and T cells expressing NK molecules. The latter are found in low proportions in peripheral blood [1-3]. Tumoricidal activity requires cell to cell contact initiated by functionally relevant adhesion molecules. It is not clear which adhesion molecules are responsible for the site directed traffic and binding of mononuclear cells within the tumor microenvironment and which populations of mononuclear cells reveal prediction to accumulate around and within the tumor tissue during postextravasation phase of tumor growth [4-6]. Defining these populations and molecules may help to elucidate the mechanisms that guide mononuclear cells to and within the tumor microenvironment. This may be important for two reasons: first evaluation of their cytotoxic capacity, second isolation and culturing cells for transfection with cytokine genes or arming with antitumor chemicals for tumoricidal therapy. Aim of the study was to: