A Combined Nutritional and Immunological Intervention to Activate Natural Cytotoxicity Against Breast Cancer Cells In Vitro and In Vivo
Abstract
The central hypothesis of this Idea Award is that a combination of nutritional and immunological treatments may work together to stimulate the body's natural immune defenses against breast cancer. We are testing treatment with 3 agents, retinoic acid (RA), a metabolite of the essential nutrient vitamin A, with immune stimulation using alpha-galactosylceramide (<-GalCer, a synthetic lipid known to alter immune function and to display antitumorigenic activity in vivo; and poly-I:C (PIC), an inducer of type I and type II interferons (IFN). Our research has shown that RA induces CD1d expression and, as a consequence, iNKT cell activation is altered. Research in year 1 has shown that RA potentiates )-GalCer-induced mouse spleen cell proliferation, and alters the balance of NKT1 to NKT2 cytokines by reducing the former type and increasing the latter type. This was also shown be testing the intracellular cytokine mRNA expression in NKT cells (NK1.1-positive CD3-positive spleen cells) detected by flow cytometry. Our studies showed that B cells play a significant role as CD1d expressing cells. B cells are antigen-presenting cells, and thus this cell population should be further considered in the hypothesis we are testing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA490657
Entities
People
- A. C. Ross
Organizations
- Pennsylvania State University