Immune responses of dendritic cells after loaded with cytotoxicity T lymphocyte epitope based peptide of human alpha-fetoprotein (hAFP) / 中华肝脏病杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the immune responses of lymphocytes after activated by dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with cytotoxicity T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope based peptide of human alpha-fetoprotein (hAFP, 218-226 LLNQHACAV).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Get high purity DCs by cultured plastic-adherent monocytes isolated from healthy donor of HLA-A2(+) peripheral blood with granulocyte-monocyte colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) for 7 days. Stimulate self-lymphocytes with DCs that loaded with CTL epitope based peptide of hAFP under the culture medium contains interleukin-2 (IL-2) for 7 days. Analyse IL-12 and TNF in culture medium and also the specific lysis activity of lymphocytes against four strains of primary hepatocellular carcinoma cells.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After stimulated by DC loaded with CTL epitope based peptide derived from hAFP, lymphocytes appeared a good characteristics and the culture medium of activated lymphocytes contained a high level Th1 type cytokines of IL-12 and TNF. Activated lymphocytes not only specifically lysed HLA-A2(+) HepG2 line but also had the cytotoxicity against other three primary hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines and T2 target cell loaded with peptide of hAFP.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The results of this research supply the basic materials for the DC based vaccine with HLA-A2 restricted peptide epitope derived from hAFP against AFP positive primary hepatocellular carcinoma.</p>