Histological effects of a coupled tumor protein antigen on the development of transplanted tumors in C3H/HeJ mice.

Two hundred 13 week old male and female C3H/HeJ mice were used to gauge the histological effects of a coupled tumor protein antigen (CTPA) on the development of transplanted tumors in these inbred mice. A group of the animals was transplanted with 2mm3 pieces of neoplastic tissue derived from a single spontaneous adenocarcinoma excised from a retired breeder C3H/HeJ female mouse. One hundred of these transplanted animals were subsequently injected with 0.2 ml of CTPA via a hind foot pad at weekly intervals, while others were left untreated. The transplanted tumors were allowed to develop for six weeks, at which time they were excised both from treated and nontreated animals, prepared according to standard histological techniques and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Examination of the stained tissues revealed numerous chronic inflammatory cells in neoplasms from transplanted CTPA-treated animals. Tissue disruption, lymphocytic infiltration and macrophage-mediated phagocytosis were in evidence. In contrast, analogous tissues from transplanted control mice did not exhibit any manifestations of cellular immunity or chronic inflammation. It would appear, then, that a degree of cell-mediated immunity was induced in animals treated with CTPA.