Synergistic antitumor effects of BCG and monoclonal antibodies capable of inducing antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

Three monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) of different immunoglobulin subclasses against MH134 murine ascitic hepatoma cells, detecting the same antigenic determinant of tumor-associated antigen of the tumor cells, were tested for their ability to produce a synergistic antitumor effect with Mycobacterium bovis BCG in C3H/HeN mice. 12A2 (IgG2a) induced both antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) against the tumor cells. C3H/HeN mice were inoculated ip with MH134 tumor cells (day 0), and received an ip injection of BCG (day 1) and/or 12A2 (day 5). The combined therapy with BCG and 12A2 brought about a significant prolongation of the survival period, whereas either BCG or the MAb alone exhibited poor therapeutic effectiveness. 11G2 (IgG1), inducing ADCC but not CDC against MH134 tumor cells, was shown to exhibit antitumor effects as potent as those of 12A2, when used in combination with BCG. However, 7C2 (IgM), capable of inducing CDC but not ADCC to the tumor cells, produced no apparent synergistic effect with BCG. ADCC of BCG-induced peritoneal cells was mediated by the adherent cell population of the cells and abolished by the addition of carrageenan, suggesting that the effector cells of the cytotoxicity were macrophages. Moreover, carrageenan abolished the combined antitumor effect of BCG and these MAbs in the serological Winn assay. These results suggest that activated macrophages play a major role in the synergistic antitumor effect of BCG and MAbs capable of inducing ADCC against MH134 tumor.