Modulating effect of mitomycin or cisplatin on lymphokine-activated killer cell proliferation and antitumor activity to bladder cancer cell lines in vitro.

AIM

To study the effect of mitomycin (Mit) or cisplatin (Cis) on the proliferation of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells in patients with transitional cell cancer of bladder and their cytolysis to bladder tumor cells.

METHODS

LAK cell proliferation was assayed in the presence of Mit or Cis by cell counting. Bladder cancer cell lines BIU-87 and EJ were cultured as target cells and cytotoxicity of LAK cells was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.

RESULTS

The proliferation of LAK cells induced by recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2) was inhibited by Cis in a concentration-dependent manner and was decreased to 55.3% at 100 mg.L-1 compared with control at 96 h. The enhanced growth of the LAK cells was observed with Mit 5-10 mg.L-1 from 48 to 96 h. Cis 10 mg.L-1 increased the cytotoxicity against BIU-87 and EJ cells.

CONCLUSION

Immunomodulatory effect of chemotherapeutic agents on LAK cell proliferation induced by IL-2 in patients with bladder cancer mainly depends on the drug itself.