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Glucose depletion enhances the anti‐tumor effect of TNF
Author(s) -
Volland Sabine,
Amtmann Eberhard,
Sauer Gerhard
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910520310
Subject(s) - tumor necrosis factor alpha , in vivo , necrosis , cell culture , in vitro , cytotoxic t cell , biology , cancer research , endocrinology , medicine , biochemistry , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology
Treatment of human carcinoma xenotransplants in athymic mice with recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (rh TNF) causes necrosis mainly in the central parts of the tumors, while peripheral sections remain mitotically active. As tumors are known to be supplied with adequate glucose exclusively in their periphery, the influence of the lack of glucose on the cytotoxic activity of rh TNF was studied. The absence of glucose enhanced the killing of tumor cell lines by rh TNF in tissue culture. Meth‐A, a cell line known to be resistant to TNF in vitro but highly sensitive to it in vivo , was readily killed in tissue‐culture medium lacking glucose. All non‐transformed cell lines tested were found to be resistant to rh TNF, regardless of the presence or absence of glucose. In tumor‐bearing mice a reduction of the blood glucose content augmented by insulin led to increased anti‐tumor efficiency of rh TNF. The enhanced anti‐tumor activity was reflected both in histological sections of the tumor xenotransplants, by extensive central necroses, and by reduction of the tumor volumes. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.