ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate whether the susceptibility of human colon adenocarcinoma cell SW1116 to lymphokine-activated killer cell (LAK)-mediated lysis could be enhanced by low concentration of sodium butyrate, and the possible involvement of intercellular surface adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Methods:Standard MTT assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of LAK cells to SW1116 cells, flow cytometric and immunofluorescent techniques were used to determine the expression of ICAM-1 and CEA on tumor cells. Results:Treatment of SW1116 with sodium butyrate leads to an increased resistance to LAK-mediated lysis, accompanied by downregulation of ICAM-1 expression and upregulation of CEA expression. Conclusion: Sodium butyrate inhibits rather than enhance LAK activity against SW1116, probably by changing the expression of ICAM-1 and CEA on target cells, which impair the adherence of effector on target cells.