The effect of Schizophyllan on the differentiation of osteoclasts and osteoblasts.

Schizophyllan (SPG), a ß-glucan from Schizophyllum commune, is recognized for its antioxidant, immunoregulatory, and anticancer activities. In this study, its effects on bone cells, particularly osteoclasts and osteoblasts, were examined. We demonstrated that SPG dose-dependently inhibited osteoclastogenesis and reduced gene expression associated with osteoclast differentiation. SPG also decreased bone resorption and F-actin ring formation. This inhibition could have been due to the downregulation of transcription factors c-Fos and nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATc1) via the MAPKs (JNK and p38), IκBα, and PGC1ß/PPARγ pathways. In coculture, SPG lowered osteoclastogenic activity in calvaria-derived osteoblasts by reducing macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) expression. In addition, SPG slightly enhanced osteoblast differentiation, as evidenced by increased differentiation marker gene expression and alizarin red staining. It also exhibited antiresorptive effects in a lipopolysaccharide-induced calvarial bone loss model. These results indicated a dual role of SPG in bone cell regulation by suppressing osteoclastogenesis and promoting osteoblast differentiation. Thus, SPG could be a therapeutic agent for bone resorption-related diseases such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and periodontitis.

Schizophyllum commune ß-glucan: Effect on interleukin-10 expression induced by lipopolysaccharide from periodontopathic bacteria.

ß-glucans are potent immunomodulators, with effects on innate and adaptive immune responses via dectin-1 as the main receptor. In this study, we investigated the biological effect of ß-glucan from Schizophyllum commune, called Schizophyllan (SPG) on Interleukin-10 (IL-10) expression induced by a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in murine macrophages (J774.1). SPG and dectin-1 interaction up-regulates LPS-induced IL-10 expression. The regulative effect of SPG on IL-10 expression is dependent on prolongation of nuclear translocation activity of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κBα) pathway induced by LPS. We also found that LPS-induced phosphorylation of mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase 1 (MSK1) and cAMP-responsive-element-binding protein (CREB), followed by up-regulation of IL-10, was stimulated by SPG priming via activation of the spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk). Our data indicate that SPG augments the anti-inflammatory response in murine macrophages which can be useful to create an intervention for periodontal disease treatment.

Induction of potent cell growth inhibition by schizophyllan/K-ras antisense complex in combination with gemcitabine.

Antisense oligonucleotides (AS-ODNs) specifically hybridize with target mRNAs, resulting in interference with the splicing mechanism or the regulation of protein translation. In our previous reports, we demonstrated that ß-glucan schizophyllan (SPG) can form a complex with AS-ODNs attached with oligo deoxyadenosine dA40 (AS-ODN-dA40/SPG), and that this complex can be recognized by ß-glucan receptor Dectin-1 on antigen presenting cells and lung cancer cells. In many types of cancer cell, activating K-ras mutations related to malignancy are frequently observed. In this study, we first designed 78 AS-ODNs for K-ras to optimize the sequence for highly efficient gene suppression. The selected AS-ODN (K-AS07) having dA40 made a complex with SPG. The resultant complex (K-AS07-dA40/SPG) showed an effect of silencing the ras gene in the cells (PC9: human adenocarcinoma differentiated from lung tissue) expressing Dectin-1, leading to the suppression of cell growth. Furthermore, the cytotoxic effect was enhanced when used in combination with the anticancer drug gemcitabine. Gemcitabine, a derivative of cytidine, was shown to interact with dA40 in a sequence-dependent manner. This interaction did not appear to be so strong, with the gemcitabine being released from the complex after internalization into the cells. SPG and the dA40 part of K-AS07-dA40 play roles in carriers for K-AS07 and gemcitabine, respectively, resulting in a strong cytotoxic effect. This combination effect is a novel feature of the AS-ODN-dA40/SPG complexes. These results could facilitate the clinical application of these complexes for cancer treatment.

Inflammatory responses of macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells in a 3D hydrogel matrix to ultrasonicated schizophyllan.

The water-soluble ß-glucan schizophyllan has diverse immunomodulatory activities. However, its biological activities have only been explored using cells grown in two-dimensional (2D) culture condition, which does not replicate the three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment of actual tissue, resulting in mismatches between in vitro and in vivo findings. In this study, we investigated the immunomodulatory effects of ultrasonicated schizophyllan (uSPG) on RAW264.7 cells encapsulated in 3D poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel. Cells grown in 3D were less sensitive to uSPG than those grown in 2D, although uSPG upregulated M1 macrophage phenotype markers in both conditions. This might be due to the low availability of uSPG recognition receptors of cells grown in 3D. Conversely, uSPG promoted gene expressions of M2 macrophage phenotype markers in 3D, suggesting uSPG-induced immune-regulation of macrophages in real tissues. These findings imply that the immunomodulatory effects of uSPG on macrophages should be carefully interpreted in terms of the microenvironment.

Circulating nano-particulate TLR9 agonist scouts out tumor microenvironment to release immunogenic dead tumor cells.

Recent evidence suggest that a ß-glucan derived from mushroom Schizophyllan(SPG) complexed with a humanized TLR9 agonistic CpG DNA, K3 (K3-SPG) is a promising vaccine adjuvant that induces robust CD8 T cell responses to co-administered antigen. However, it has not been investigated whether K3-SPG alone can act as an anti-cancer immunotherapeutic agent or not. Here, we demonstrate that intravenous injection of K3-SPG, but not CpG alone, is accumulated in the tumor microenvironment and triggered immunogenic cell death (ICD) of tumor cells by local induction of type-I interferon (IFN) as well as IL-12. Resultant innate immune activation as well as subsequent tumor-specific CD8 T cell responses were contributed the tumor growth suppression. This anti-tumor effect of K3-SPG monotherapy was also confirmed by using various tumor models including pancreatic cancer peritoneal dissemination model. Taken together, nano-particulate TLR9 agonist injected intravenously can scout out tumor microenvironment to provoke local innate immune activation and release dead tumor cells into circulation that may induce broader and protective tumor antigen-specific CD8 T cells.

Immunoregulatory and antitumor activity of schizophyllan under ultrasonic treatment.

Aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ultrasonic treatment on the biological activities of schizophyllan (SPG) from Schizophyllum commune. The immunoregulatory and antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo of SPG and ultrasonic-treated SPG (USPG) were evaluated by splenic lymphocytes, macrophages RAW264.7 and human breast carcinoma T-47D cells. Compared with SPG, USPG fractions had small molecular weight and narrow distribution. Meantime, more enhancement of NO production in macrophages RAW264.7, lymphocytes proliferation rates, IL-2 and TNF-α level from spleen lymphocytes and T-47D cells inhibition rates were observed in USPG fractions groups. This result indicated that the immune-enhancing and antitumor activity of SPG was significantly improved after ultrasonic treatment. USPG60 exhibited the highest biological activity in this study. In conclusion, application of ultrasonic technology on SPG preparation is an efficient approach to get high biological polysaccharide, and USPG60 might be a potential functional component for immunoregulatory and cancer treatment.

Rheological properties and antitumor activity of schizophyllan produced with solid-state fermentation.

Schizophyllan (SPG) was produced by the fungus Schizophyllum commune under solid-state fermentation conditions in this study. SPG was physically characterized and its rheological properties and antitumor effects on S180 tumors in vivo were evaluated. SPG is a neutral polysaccharide with three main fractions, and the major fraction comprises 55.5%, with an average molecular weight 4.65 × 10(7) Da. Steady shear rheological measurements showed the typical pseudoplastic flow behavior of SPG at the experimental concentrations. The power law model was used to fit the shear curves of SPG and both its viscosity and consistency indices changed regularly as the concentration increased. SPG solution showed different viscoelastic behaviors at different concentrations: typical viscoelastic behavior was observed at lower concentrations, whereas solid-like behavior was observed at higher concentrations. Experimental doses of SPG exerted extreme antitumor effects in vivo, and the maximum inhibition rate was almost 70%.

Schizophyllan inhibits the development of mammary and hepatic carcinomas induced by 7,12 dimethylbenz(α)anthracene and decreases cell proliferation: comparison with tamoxifen.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality among women. Some anticancer compounds have been isolated from mushrooms. The aim of the present work was to study the anticancer effects of schizophyllan (SCH), a ß-D: -glucan extracted from the mushroom Schizophyllum commune alone or in combination with tamoxifen (TAM) on 7, 12 Dimethylbenz(α)anthracene (DMBA)-induced carcinomas in mice. METHODS: We isolated SCH from S. commune. Female mice received DMBA, SCH, DMBA+SCH, DMBA+TAM or DMBA+TAM+SCH or vehicles. We studied mice survival, tumour incidence, histopathology, oestrogen receptor (ER) expression, cell proliferation by immunohistochemical detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), apoptosis by TUNEL assay, as well as caspase-3 expression. RESULTS: DMBA treatment resulted in mammary and hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). Both SCH and TAM reduced the incidence of DMBA-induced mammary tumours by 85 and 75 %, respectively, and equally decreased the PCNA labelling index relative to DMBA. TAM treatment increased the incidence of- and PCNA index in HCCs relative to DMBA, while SCH suppressed these effects. TAM was more effective than SCH in the induction of apoptosis in both mammary and hepatic carcinomas. Caspase-3 levels correlated with the apoptotic index in most experimental groups. CONCLUSIONS: Only one dose of SCH had similar therapeutic effects against DMBA-induced mammary carcinomas as 4 weeks of TAM treatment. This coupled with the ability of SCH to suppress hepatic lesions associated with TAM treatment provides the rationale for further investigating the combined therapeutic effects of TAM+SCH in preclinical models of ER-positive breast cancer, as well as in liver cancer.

ß-1,3-Glucan/antisense oligonucleotide complex stabilized with phosphorothioation and its gene suppression.

Most of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) subjected to current clinical evaluation belong to phosphorothioate (PS) analogues. Although PS has great advantage in DNase resistance, it can induce nonspecific side-effects. Thus it is important to investigate the influence of ASOs with different PS contents. In this paper, we prepared the complex consisting of schizophyllan (SPG) and ASOs attached a dA40 tail with different PS contents to the 3' end of the ODN, which is introduced to stabilize the complex with SPG. With increase of PS content in the dA40, its complexation ability with SPG was improved and the complex showed high thermal stability. The thermal stability of the fully phosphorothioated ASOs was obtained by only replacing 20% of the oxygen of the phosphodiester moiety. The ability of gene suppression between PS and phosphodiester for antisense sequences was almost the same, indicating that the antisense sequences need not to be PS backbone. These data may provide new insight for the interaction between ß-1,3-glucan and DNA and help to deliver therapeutic ODNs.

Effect of SPG/indomethacin treatment on sepsis, interleukin-6 production, and expression of hepatic cytochrome P450 isoforms in differing strains of mice.

We previously reported that a combination of beta-glucan and indomethacin (IND), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, was lethal to mice. This lethality was strongly related to translocation of enterobacterial flora to various organs and the development of a systemic inflammation. In this study, we examined expression of microsomal cytochrome P450 (CYP), a drug-metabolizing enzyme mostly found in the liver. Normal ICR mice and endotoxin-low responder C3H/HeJ mice were employed to assess effects of endotoxin on impairment of CYP. In the ICR mice, CYP3A11 expression was decreased by beta-glucan or IND. In the early stage of beta-glucan + IND-treatment, 3A11 expression decreased more significantly; when shock was induced, CYP was dramatically decreased. 3A11 expression was also decreased in C3H/HeJ mice, but the effect was milder. In contrast, in both strains, CYP2E1 expression did not vary due to beta-glucan or IND, but decreased during sepsis. To clarify the molecular mechanisms of induced sepsis in C3H/HeJ mice, the reactivity of other pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) was assessed. Those studies showed cooperative effects between Pam(3)CSK(4) (Pam(3)) and CpG ODN (CpG-oligodeoxynucleotide) on the induction of IL-6 synthesis by C3H/HeJ spleen cells. The findings here suggest that the beta-glucan + IND combination influenced hepatic cytochrome P450 expression, particularly in the late stage of sepsis. The results also indicate that this change may be associated with not only endotoxin but other PAMPs as well, and could be affected by the integrity of a host's drug metabolism function.

Blocking effect of anti-Dectin-1 antibodies on the anti-tumor activity of 1,3-beta-glucan and the binding of Dectin-1 to 1,3-beta-glucan.

Schizophyllan (SPG) is used to treat cervical cancer in combination with irradiation to enhance the immunological surveillance system. Dectin-1 is a cell surface receptor for 1,3-beta-glucan. In this study, we prepared two anti-Dectin-1 monoclonal antibodies, 4B2 and SC30 having a K(D) of 7.04 x 10(-8) M and 1.55 x 10(-7) M, respectively, and evaluated the role of Dectin-1 in SPG-induced anti-tumor activity in mice. Expression of Dectin-1 on peritoneal macrophages and binding of SPG to the cells were decreased by administration of 4B2 and SC30. SPG-mediated anti-tumor activity was inhibited by 4B2 and SC30. 4B2 and SC30 inhibited the binding of SPG to splenocytes from mice. The binding of SPG-biotin to Dectin-1-transfected HEK293 cells was inhibited by 4B2, but not SC30. 4B2 and SC30 differ in their influence on Dectin-1 between primary cells and transduced cells, and Dectin-1 effects 1,3-beta-glucan-mediated anti-tumor activity in mice by binding to SPG.

Galactose-PEG dual conjugation of beta-(1-->3)-D-glucan schizophyllan for antisense oligonucleotides delivery to enhance the cellular uptake.

Antisense oligonucleotides (AS ODNs) are applied to silence a particular gene, and this approach is one of the potential gene therapies. However, naked oligonucleotides are easy to be degraded or absorbed in biological condition. Therefore, we need a carrier to deliver AS ODNs. This paper presents galactose moieties that were conjugated to the side chain of SPG to enhance cellular ingestion through endocytosis mediated by asialoglycoprotein receptor specifically located on parenchymal liver cells. We introduced galactose with two types of chemical bonds; amide and amine, and the amine connection showed lower ingestion and more toxicity than the amide one. Since PEG was known to induce endocytosis escape, we combined PEG and galactose aiming to provide both cellular up-take and subsequent endocytosis escape. We designed lactose or galactose moieties to attach to the end of the PEG chain that connects to the SPG side chain. When the PEG had the molecular weight of 5000-6000, the antisense effect reached the maximum. We believe that this new type of galactose and PEG dual conjugation broaden the horizon in antisense delivery.

Schizophyllan-folate conjugate as a new non-cytotoxic and cancer-targeted antisense carrier.

Schizophyllan having folate-appendages was synthesized from native schizophyllan through NaIO(4)-oxidation and the subsequent reductive amination in aqueous ammonia followed by amido-coupling with folic acid. The resulting folate-appended schizophyllan can form stable complex with poly(dA), show specific affinity toward folate binding protein, and mediate effective antisense activity in cancer cells.

Effects of sizofiran on endotoxin-enhanced cold ischemia-reperfusion injury of the rat liver.

Kupffer cells (KC), resident macrophages of the liver, have been strongly implicated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver graft injury. However, our recent study showed that sizofiran (schizophyllan glucan) (SPG), which activates KC, did not influence cold ischemia-reperfusion liver injury of LPS-exposed rats. Here we investigated some mechanisms by which SPG does not aggravate LPS-enhanced cold ischemia-reperfusion rat liver injury. Control and SPG-treated rats were exposed to LPS for 2 h prior to hepatectomy. The livers were cold-preserved in University of Wisconsin solution followed by reperfusion with Krebs-Henseleit buffer. We found that SPG dramatically inhibited LPS-induced increases of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the plasma and bile in vivo. Moreover, LPS-induced TNF- release into the washout solution after cold ischemia was also abrogated by SPG pretreatment. However, SPG increased TNF- release into the perfusate after reperfusion. On the other hand, SPG completely abolished expression of c-myc protooncogene, which is known to sensitize cells to TNF-alpha cytotoxicity. In conclusion, inhibition of both TNF- release after LPS challenge and c-myc expression may explain why activation of KC with SPG does not aggravate endotoxin-enhanced cold ischemia-reperfusion liver injury.

The effect of (1-->3)-beta-D-glucans, carboxymethylglucan and schizophyllan on human leukocytes in vitro.

(1-->3)-beta-D-glucans are known as potent inductors of humoral and cell-mediated immunity in humans and animals. (1-->3)-beta-D-glucans isolated from various sources differ in their chemical structure and physical parameters and consequently in their immunomodulatory potential. In this study the immunomodulatory activity of two (1-->3)-beta-D-glucans schizophyllan (SPG) and carboxymethylglucan (CMG) was determined and compared on human blood leukocytes in vitro. Both SPG and CMG activated blood phagocytes and lymphocytes as demonstrated by increased whole blood production of reactive oxygen species, by increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha, by increased surface expression of CD69 on lymphocytes, and by altered expression of CD11b and CD62L on polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes. SPG demonstrated a significantly higher potential to stimulate blood phagocytes and production of selected pro-inflammatory cytokines than CMG. The higher potency of SPG to stimulate human blood phagocytes in vitro could be caused by factors such as higher branching frequencies or neutral polymer charge of SPG or different conformation in solution if compared with CMG.

The cytokine stimulating activity of (1-->3)-beta-D-glucans is dependent on the triple helix conformation.

The immunomodulating properties of comb-like branched (1-->3)-beta-D-glucans scleroglucan, schizophyllan and lentinan depend on branching pattern, molecular weight and higher-order structure. The effect of weight average molecular weight Mw and higher order structure of scleroglucan, on stimulation of human monocytes cultured in vitro to secrete tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was investigated. The higher order structures of the scleroglucan samples were determined by electron microscopy. The data showed that the samples with a linear wormlike, triple helical structure with Mw less than 50 x 10(4) g/mol or larger than 110 x 10(4) g/mol stimulated the monocytes more efficiently than samples with Mw in the range (67-110) x 10(4) g/mol. The denaturation of the linear triple helices by NaOH (> 0.25 M), followed by neutralization yielded blends of linear and macrocyclic topologies with concomitant irreversible reduction of the cytokine inducing activity compared with the untreated scleroglucans. The dose-dependent ability to activate monocytes to cytokine production was not restored following annealing of the denatured-renatured samples, despite the fact that electron micrographs revealed similar structures of these annealed samples to the starting material. Pre-incubation of monocytes with antibodies against cluster of differentiation antigens CD14 or CD11b reduced the scleroglucan potency to stimulate TNF-alpha secretion mainly for mAb against CD14 in the presence of serum.

Failure in antitumor activity by overdose of an immunomodulating beta-glucan preparation, sonifilan.

Schizophyllan (SPG, Sonifilan) is a soluble (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan, used as a biological response modifier (BRM) with radiation therapy for cancer treatment in Japan. The mechanism of SPG mediated antitumor activity is thought to be via immune stimulation, which includes cytokine production, hematopoietic response, and so on. In this paper, we found that the activity of SPG was quite long-lived and an overdose significantly failed to display the antitumor activity. To demonstrate the mechanism several parameters were examined using a high dose of SPG administration as follows: i) the effect on vascular permeability in vivo, ii) the priming effect on tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) production in vivo, iii) the effect on macrophage adherence to plastic plate in vitro, and iv) anti-Sarcoma 180 antibody production in vivo. It was evident that vascular permeability and anti-Sarcoma 180 antibody production remained unchanged, but TNF-alpha production and adherence to a plastic plate was significantly reduced by a high dose of SPG. These facts strongly suggested that modulation of the cytokine syntheses and the leukocyte traffic would be the causative mechanisms of the failure of antitumor activity by an overdose of SPG.

Increase of hematopoietic responses by triple or single helical conformer of an antitumor (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan preparation, Sonifilan, in cyclophosphamide-induced leukopenic mice.

It has been suggested that the immunopharmacological activity of soluble (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan depends on its conformation in mice. In this study, we examined the relationship between the conformation of Sonifilan (SPG) and hematopietic responses in cyclophosphamide (Cy)-induced leukopenic mice. SPG, a high molecular weight (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan, has a triple helical conformation in water, and it was changed by treatment with aqueous sodium hydroxide to the single helical conformer (SPG-OH). The effects of SPG or SPG-OH on hematopoietic responses in cyclophosphamide induced leukopenic mice were investigated by monitoring i) gene expression of cytokines by RT-PCR, ii) protein synthesis of interleukin 6 (IL-6) by ELISA and iii) colony formation of bone marrow cells (BMC). The mice administered Cy and SPG or SPG-OH expressed and produced higher levels of IL-6 mRNA and protein than the mice administered only Cy. Gene expression of NK1.1 was also induced by Cy/SPG (or SPG-OH) treatment. Induced gene expression of stem cell factor (SCF) and macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) by SPG/SPG-OH were also found in in vitro culture of BMC from Cy treated mice. These results strongly suggested that conformation of the glucans, single and triple helix, are independent of the hematopietic response.

Cytokine synthesis of human monocytes stimulated by triple or single helical conformer of an antitumour (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan preparation, sonifilan.

It has been suggested that the immunopharmacological activity of soluble (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan depends on it's conformation in mice. In this study, we examined the relationship between the conformation of Schizophyllan (SPG), a high molecular weight (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan, and cytokine productivity in an in vitro human system. Monocyte-like human cell lines, THP-1 and U-937, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were used. THP-1 and U-937 cells were differentiated by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) before use. SPG usually has a triple helical conformation in water, but it was modified by treatment with aqueous sodium hydroxide to become a single helical conformer (SPG-OH). SPG or SPG-OH was added to the macrophage cell culture and gene expression and translation of several cytokines was analyzed by RT-PCR, ELISA, or bioassays. Differentiated THP-1 expressed high levels of cytokine genes, such as IL-8, in response to SPG-OH. High levels of IL-12 p70 were detected from THP-1 cells stimulated with SPG-OH. U-937 cells expressed high levels of IL-8 and TNF-alpha after SPG-OH treatment. Furthermore, PBMC isolated from healthy donors also strongly reacted with SPG-OH but not with SPG. High concentrations of TNF-alpha were detected in SPG-OH-stimulated PBMC cultures. These data suggest that the biological activities of SPG are strongly associated with its conformation in humans.

Augmentation of the antitumor effect of adoptive immunotherapy by in vivo sensitization of EL-4 lymphoma and pre-treatment with sizofiran.

The antitumor effects of adoptive immunotherapy using LAK cells treated with sizofiran (SPG) following in vivo antigen sensitization with EL-4 lymphoma (EsLAK), comparing nonsensitized LAK cells (sLAK), were studied in mice with intraperitoneal implantation of EL-4 lymphoma. EL-4 cells treated with Mitomycin C (100 micrograms/ml) were introduced by inoculation into the peritoneum of C57BL/6 mice for antigen sensitization. Four days later, SPG (100 micrograms) was intramuscularly injected. Three days after SPG administration, mononuclear cells obtained from the spleen were prepared for LAK cells (EsLAK). The following results were obtained: 1) The survival period was significantly greater in the sLAK and EsLAK groups than in the control group. The survival period in the EsLAK group was significantly greater than that in the sLAK group. 2) The number of EL-4 cells in the peritoneal exudate cells 11 days postimplantation was lowest in the EsLAK group, and the number of lymphocytes including LGL was largest in the EsLAK group, compared with the sLAK group and the control group. 3) The EsLAK cells showed significantly more enhanced cytotoxic activity against EL-4 than the sLAK cells. 4) Histopathological findings of metastatic lesions of the liver and spleen stained by HE 11 days postimplantation showed less infiltrating tumor cells and more lymphocytic infiltrations in the sLAK and EsLAK groups compared with the control group. These results suggest that induction of LAK cells by administration of SPG to lymphocytes treated by in vivo sensitization with tumor antigen increases the efficacy of adoptive immunotherapy.