Clinical & experimental metastasis
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Clin. Exp. Metastasis · Apr 1985
Influence of adoptively transferred thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal macrophages on metastasis formation in mice with depressed or stimulated NK activity.
The effect of thioglycollate-elicited macrophages (TG-M phi) on natural killer (NK)-cell activity and metastases formation in mice was investigated. Intravenously (i.v.) inoculated TG-M phi inhibited spleen NK activity of normal mice and abrogated polyinosinic: polycytidylic (poly I:C) induced augmentation of NK cell function. TG-M phi also inhibited the clearance of i.v.-injected radiolabeled B16 melanoma cells from the lungs of normal or poly I:C stimulated mice. ⋯ However, since the inhibition of NK activity in TG-M phi-treated mice was relatively weak, and a substantial additional increase in metastases was observed in NK-depressed mice after transfusion of TG-M phi, it seems unlikely that the TG-M phi-induced inhibition of NK reactivity is entirely responsible for the augmented formation of metastases. Further studies revealed that i.v. inoculation of TG-M phi, but not PM phi, induced intravascular inflammatory reactions, and damage to endothelial cells and basement membrane of the lung vasculature. These reactions may contribute to increased tumor cell extravasation and metastasis formation in mice pretreated with TG-M phi.