Enhancement of macrophage invasion of tumors by administration of chemotactic factor-antitumor antibody conjugates.

The numbers of macrophages in peritoneal guinea pig hepatomas were significantly (P less than 0.005) elevated by the intraperitoneal injection of a covalent conjugate of the chemotactic peptide, formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (fMLP), and IgG reactive with surface antigens on the hepatoma cells. These conjugates, which were previously shown to be chemotactic for guinea pig peritoneal exudate macrophages in vitro, increased the numbers of macrophages in the tumors approximately twofold when injected either in a single dose or in five doses. Although five injections of unconjugated fMLP were nearly as effective as the IgG-fMLP conjugates, free fMLP did not enhance the numbers of macrophages in tumors when injected as a single dose. Unconjugated IgG had no effect. The mean tumor weights were decreased in those groups of guinea pigs which received IgG-fMLP but statistical significance was not achieved due to tumor weight variability in all groups.