Growth inhibition of subcutaneously transplanted human glioma by transfection-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha and augmentation of the effect by gamma-interferon.

Using subcutaneous solid tumors produced by U251-MG human glioma cells, we studied the in vivo transfection of the cells with the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) gene delivered by means of liposomes. When the tumor had become 7 mm in diameter, liposomes with entrapped TNF-alpha gene were injected into the center of the subcutaneous tumor. We found that mRNA of transfection-induced TNF-alpha, which was expressed in the tumor tissue, was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method and its protein was demonstrated by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Growth of the tumor was inhibited when the injection was carried out five times at every other day. The growth-inhibitory effect by transfection-induced TNF-alpha was much remarkable as compared with exogenous TNF-alpha and the effect was enhanced by the intraperitoneal injection of gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma) 12 h prior to intratumoral injection of the liposomes.