Immunotherapy with tumor lysate-loaded dendritic cells (DCs) is one of the most promising strategies to induce antitumor immune responses. However, the antitumor activity of cytotoxic Tcells may be restrained by their expression of the inhibitory T-cell coreceptor cytotoxic Tlymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4). By relieving this restraint, CTLA-4-blocking antibodies promote tumor rejection, but the full scope of their most suitable applications has yet to be fully determined. In the present study, we offer proof of a preclinical concept in a C3Hmouse osteosarcoma (LM8) model that CTLA-4 blockade cooperates with cryotreated tumor lysate-pulsed DCs in a primary tumor to prevent the outgrowth of lung metastasis. To evaluate immune response activation, we established the following four groups of C3Hmice (60mice in total): i)control immunoglobulinG (IgG)-treated mice; ii)tumor lysate-pulsed DC-treated mice; iii)anti-CTLA-4 antibody-treated mice and iv)tumor lysate-pulsed DC- and anti-CTLA-4 antibody-treated mice. The mice that received the tumor lysate-pulsed DCs and anti-CTLA-4 antibody displayed reduced numbers of regulatory Tlymphocytes and increased numbers of CD8+Tlymphocytes inside the metastatic tumor, inhibition of metastatic growth, a prolonged lifetime, reduced numbers of regulatory Tlymphocytes in the spleen and high serum interferon-γ levels. Combining an anti-CTLA-4 antibody with tumor lysate-pulsed DCs enhanced the systemic immune response. To the best of our knowledge, these findings document for the first time an effect of the combination of tumor lysate-pulsed DCs and CTLA-4-blocking antibodies in osteosarcoma. We suggest that cryotreated tumor lysate-pulsed DCs, although insufficient on their own, may mediate the rejection of metastatic lesions and prevent recurrence of the disease when combined with CTLA-4 blockade in osteosarcoma patients in the clinical setting.
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