Macrophage activation and anti-tumor activity of biologic and synthetic agents.

Systemic administration of the synthetic immunopotentiator pyran, was as effective as the use of the biologic immunopotentiator BCG in activating macrophages and in inhibiting the Lewis lung carcinoma and MCA 2182 sarcoma. Several other synthetic polyanions also activated macrophages and exhibited some anti-tumor activity, but none were as effective as pyran. Cell-wall fractions such as the Ribi vaccine and MER were considerably less effective than BCG. The anti-tumor activity of pyran against the virtually non-immunogenic Lewis lung carcinoma involved non-specifically activated macrophages, and both anti-tumor activity and macrophage activating ability persisted over a 100-fold range of drug from 0.5 mg/kg to 50 mg/kg. The ability of activated macrophages to destroy tumor cells was abrogated by treatment with trypan blue, an inhibitor of macrophage lysosomal enzymes. In addition, preincubation of tumor cells with activated peritoneal cells at effector-cell:target-cell ratios of 20:1 and 5:1 markedly decreased tumor incidence and mortality. Glycogen-stimulated or unstimulated peritoneal cells were completely inactive in inhibiting tumor growth in vivo or exhibiting cytotoxicity in vitro, demonstrating the requirement for activated macrophages selective for tumor-cell destruction.