Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Immunotherapy for Cancer.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), an attenuated vaccine from Mycobacterium bovis, was initially developed as an agent for vaccination against tuberculosis. BCG proved to be the first successful immunotherapy against established human bladder cancer and other neoplasms. The use of BCG has been shown to induce a long-lasting antitumor response over all other forms of treatment against intermediate, non-invasive muscle bladder cancer Several types of tumors may now be treated by releasing the immune response through the blockade of checkpoint inhibitory molecules, such as CTLA-4 and PD-1. In addition, Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) agonists and BCG are used to potentiate the immune response against tumors. Studies concerning TLR-ligands combined with BCG to treat melanoma have demonstrated efficacy in treating mice and patients This review addresses several interventions using BCG on neoplasms, such as Leukemia, Bladder Cancer, Lung Cancer, and Melanoma, describing treatments and antitumor responses promoted by this attenuated bacillus. Of essential importance, BCG is described recently to participate in an adequate microbiome, establishing an effective response during cell-target therapy when combined with anti-PD-1 antibody, which stimulates T cell responses against the melanoma. Finally, trained immunity is discussed, and reprogramming events to shape innate immune responses are addressed.

Production of MMP-9 and inflammatory cytokines by Trypanosoma cruzi-infected macrophages.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) constitute a large family of Zn(2+) and Ca(2+) dependent endopeptidases implicated in tissue remodeling and chronic inflammation. MMPs also play key roles in the activation of growth factors, chemokines and cytokines produced by many cell types, including lymphocytes, granulocytes, and, in particular, activated macrophages. Their synthesis and secretion appear to be important in a number of physiological processes, including the inflammatory process. Here, we investigated the interaction between human and mouse macrophages with T. cruzi Colombian and Y strains to characterize MMP-9 and cytokine production in this system. Supernatants and total extract of T. cruzi infected human and mouse macrophages were obtained and used to assess MMP-9 profile and inflammatory cytokines. The presence of metalloproteinase activity was determined by zymography, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting assays. The effect of cytokines on MMP-9 production in human macrophages was verified by previous incubation of cytokines on these cells in culture, and analyzed by zymography. We detected an increase in MMP-9 production in the culture supernatants of T. cruzi infected human and mouse macrophages. The addition of IL-1ß or TNF-α to human macrophage cultures increased MMP-9 production. In contrast, MMP-9 production was down-modulated when human macrophage cultures were treated with IFN-γ or IL-4 before infection. Human macrophages infected with T. cruzi Y or Colombian strains produced increased levels of MMP-9, which was related to the production of cytokines such as IL-1ß, TNF-α and IL-6.