Immunotherapy of intracranial G422 glioblastoma with dendritic cells pulsed with tumor extract or RNA

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anti-tumor efficacy of dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines pulsed with tumor extracts or RNA in a mouse model of intracranial G422 glioblastoma. METHODS: Bone marrow-derived DCs were pulsed ex vivo with tumor extracts or RNA. Ninety female mice harboring 4-day-old intracranial G422 glioblastomas and 126 normal mice were treated with three spaced one week apart subcutaneous injections either with PBS, unpulsed DCs, G422 tumor extracts, RNA, DCs pulsed with G422 tumor extracts (DC/extract) or with RNA (DC/RNA). Seven days after the third immunization of normal mice, the spleens of 36 of them were harvested for cytotoxic T lyphocyte (CTL) assays and the others were challenged in the brain with G422 tumor cells. All the treated mice were followed for survival. Some mice brains were removed and examined pathologically when they died. RESULTS: Immunization using DC/extract or DC/RNA significantly induced G422-specific CTL responses compared with control groups (P<0.01). Vaccination with DC/extract or DC/RNA, either prior to G422 tumor challenge or in tumor-harboring mice, significantly prolonged survival compared with other control groups (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: DCs pulsed with tumor extracts or RNA derived from autologous tumors has potential antitumor effects via activation of cell-mediated immunity. Our results suggest a useful therapeutic strategy against gliomas.