Lymphopenia-induced homeostatic proliferation (HP) of T cells following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) skews the T-cell repertoire by engaging tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), leading to an induction of antitumor immunity. Here, as the tumor-reactive lymphocytes preferentially proliferate during the condition of HP, we examined whether the priming of a donor lymphocy...

Although tumor lysate contains all the potential helper and killer epitopes capable of stimulating T cells, it is difficult to use as a cancer vaccine because it suppresses dendritic cell (DC) function. We report that wild-type baculovirus possesses an adjuvant effect to improve the immunogenicity of tumor lysate. When mice were administered CT26 tumor cell lysate combined with baculovirus intr...

The human oncofetal antigen 5T4 (h5T4) is a transmembrane glycoprotein overexpressed by a wide spectrum of cancers, including colorectal, ovarian, and gastric, but with a limited normal tissue expression. Such properties make 5T4 an excellent putative target for cancer immunotherapy. The murine homologue of 5T4 (m5T4) has been cloned and characterized, which allows for the evaluation of immune ...

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha is a critical pro-inflammatory cytokine produced by macrophages and was once considered an anti-tumor agent. However, a low dose of tumor necrosis factor-alpha can cause epithelial mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis and metastasis. NF-κΒ contributes to epithelial mesenchymal transition induced by tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Kanglaite, an extract from the Coix lacr...

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Plant-derived products have proven to be valuable sources for discovery and development of unique anticancer drugs. In this study, the inhibitory effects of ethanolic extract of Melia toosendan fruit (EMTF), a traditional medicine in the Chinese Pharmacopeia were evaluated in vitro and in vivo against colon cancer. Human colo...

Probiotic microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) exert a number of strain-specific health-promoting activities attributed to their immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. Despite recent attention, our understanding of the biological processes involved in the beneficial effects of LAB strains is still limited. To this end, the present study investigated t...

Thalidomide (THD) exhibits antitumor effects in several types of cancer. However, the failure of THD to inhibit tumor growth has also been observed in a number of murine models in vivo. The mechanism involved in the therapeutic failure of THD remains unclear. The present study demonstrated that, accompanied by growth-arresting and apoptosis-inducing effects (P<0.05), THD upregulated vascular en...

AIM To investigate the expression and function of CD74 in normal murine colon epithelial cells (CEC) and colon carcinoma cells. METHODS Expression of CD74 mRNA and protein were measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting and fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). The effect of migration inhibitory factor (MIF) on the survival of normal CEC from C...

Replication-competent retrovirus (RCR) vectors are intrinsically incapable of infecting quiescent cells and have been shown to achieve highly efficient and tumor-restricted replicative spread and gene transfer in vivo after direct intratumoral injection in a variety of primary cancer models. However, i.v. delivery of RCR vectors expressing therapeutic genes has never previously been tested, par...

Cancer is a devastating disease and a large socio-economic burden. Novel therapeutic solutions are on the rise, although a cure remains elusive. Application of microorganisms represents an ancient therapeutic strategy, lately revoked and refined via simultaneous attenuation and amelioration of pathogenic properties. Salmonella Typhimurium has prevailed in preclinical development. Yet, using vir...