ABSTRACT
Objective: To compare the cytotoxic activity of mammaglobin A-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and cytokine-induced killers (CIKs) against breast cancer cells in vitro. Methods: PBMCs were isolated in vitro from the peripheral blood of healthy volunteers. Then DCs, CTLs and CIKs were isolated, induced and cultured from PBMCs in vitro. CD8+ CTLs were purified with immunomagnetic beads from CTLs. DCs were infected with recombinant adenovirus encoding mammaglobin A(Ad-MGBA). CTLs and CIKs were co-cultured with DCs being infected with Ad-MGBA. The cytotoxic activity of mammaglobin A-specific CD8+ CTLs and CIKs against breast cancer cells was compared by flow cytometry. Results: The apoptosis rate of breast cancer cell MDA-MB-415, which expressed MGBA was 63.07% by CD8+ CTL killing and 48.35% by CIK killing (P<0.05). The apoptosis rate of breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231, which could express MGBA was 14.62% by CD8+CTL killing and 29.29% by CIK killing (P<0.05). Conclusion: The cytotoxic activity of antigen-specific CD8+ CTLs for the same antigen-expressing oncology cells is higher than CIKs. However, for different antigen-expressing oncology cells, the cytotoxic activity of CD8+CTLs is lower than that of CIKs.