Homing of macrophages in tumor immunity
Gupta, N.; Aikat, B.K.; Sehgal, S.
Indian Journal of Medical Research 76: 424-429
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5340 PMID: 7174033 Document Number: 185709
A specific concentration of labeled macrophages were injected into syngeneic mice after 2 wk of tumor challenge with fibrosarcoma and the animals sacrificed after another 7 days. The injected macrophages rapidly left the circulation and appeared in liver, spleen and the tumor tissue. The normal macrophages preferentially localized in the liver and the spleen and 25% of the population localized in the tumor. The specifically sensitized macrophages revealed greater concentration in the tumor compared to the unsensitized macrophages, although the total number of macrophages homing in liver and spleen remained higher than in the tumor. Such a phenomenon was linked with interference with tumor cell replication, causing a significant regression of tumor growth in the experimental group of animals. Specifically sensitized macrophages had a unique predilection for the tumor site which was found linked with protection.