The Effect of Monophosphoryl Lipid A on Maturation of DCs from Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia

Background: Generation of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC) is induced in the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4, and a maturation stimulus is added to the monocyte culture to obtain mature Dendritic Cells (DCs) suitable for therapy. TNF-α is the most common cytokine used for activating DCs and generating mature MDDC either alone or in combination with other cytokines. Objective: To compare effects of traditional cytokine cocktail (TNF-α + IL-1β) versus TLR4-agonist monophosphoryl lipid A on the viability, phenotype, cytokine profile and functionality of MDDC. Methods: The study included 32 individuals; twenty Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) cases in complete remission and 12 healthy volunteers. They were divided into 3 groups: Group 1: control group: 12 subjects to measure the baseline levels of all markers in the monocytic preparation; Group 2: cytokine cocktail (TNF-α) group, which included 10 AML subjects; Group 3: MPLA group which included 10 AML subjects. Results: TNF-α group showed higher expression of CD83 than MPLA group indicating higher capacity to induce DC maturation but both were similar in CD86, CCR7 and IL-10 expression. Preparation of dendritic cells from AML cases in remission and loading them with tumor peptides was successful. Conclusion: The effect of MPLA in DC maturation is comparable with traditional DC maturation cocktail.