Effect of glucan and other adjuvants on the clearance of radiolabeled tumor cells from mouse lungs.

The iv injection of two forms of glucan (DiLuzio and Yamamura), Corynebacterium parvum, or bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) caused a significant increase in the rate and extent of clearance of subsequently injected radiolabeled T1699 carcinoma cells from the lungs of syngeneic DBA2 mice. Dose-response curves were obtained for each agent, the relative rates of clearance of radiolabeled cells were established, and preliminary sequential comparative studies were undertaken. The optimum dose for C. parvum appeared to be lower than for DiLuzio glucan which appeared to be lower than for Yamamura glucan or BCG. The results indicated that at optimum doses one form of glucan (DiLuzio) was as effective as C. parvum and more effective than BCG or a second form of glucan (Yamamura), with respect to the time for the genesis, the magnitude, and the length of time of the response. Very preliminary experiments with a highly malignant and poorly immunogenic cell line of B16 melanoma in syngeneic C57BL/6J mice demonstrated a correlation between an increased level of clearance of radiolabeled cells and a reduced number of subsequent macroscopic lung tumor nodules.