Immunomodulatory and therapeutic properties of bestatin in mice.

In this report, we describe the immunomodulatory properties and therapeutic efficacy of bestatin. Macrophage activation, but not natural killer cell augmentation, was observed both in vitro and in vivo. Immunostimulation of T-cell activity was observed in assays of allogeneic mixed lymphocyte response, but cytotoxic effector cells did not develop after an allogeneic mixed lymphocyte-tumor cell culture. Bestatin also had T-cell adjuvant activity when it was admixed with a suboptimal vaccine composed of irradiated tumor cells. We observed significant therapeutic activity against preexisting experimental and spontaneous metastases when bestatin was administered at high doses per animal for 4 weeks.