Inhibition of the cellular immune response to simian virus 40 tumor cells in tumor-bearing and tumor-immune mice by concanavalin A.

The effects of in vivo-administered concanavalin A (Con A) on the kinetics of the primary and secondary cellular immune responses to simian virus 40-transformed tumor cells were investigated in BALB/c mice. Either a single initial dose of 400 mug Con A or daily doses of 50 mug depressed the cell-mediated immune response to tumor cells during the progressive growth of tumors, as determined by a radioisotopic foot-pad assay. The immune depression correlated with an increase in ultimate tumor weight. Similarly, Con A suppressed the antitumor cellular immune response in tumor-immune animals. Immune reactivity returned within 6 days after a single injection of 400 mug Con. Continuous administration 50 mug Con A resulted in a gradual decline in antitumor cellular immune responsiveness, which reached a plateau by the 5th day. Splenic lymphocytes from Con A-treated, immune mice failed to elicit a local adoptive transfer reaction; their immune responsiveness tended to return after incubation with alpha-methyl-D-pyranosyl sugars.