Impact of IL-12 and IL-18 Combined Stimulation on INF-γ and TNF-α Production by PBMCs Derived from Egyptian Ovarian Cancer Patients

• Published in: International journal of biomedicine Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 435 - 400
• Main Authors: Nourhan E. Mohamed, Noha A. Mahana, Abeer Mahmoud Badr, Ola S. Ahmed, Ahmed M. Lymona, Sarah S. Nasr
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: International Medical Research and Development Corporation 01-09-2024
• Subjects: ifn-γ; il-12; il-18; ovarian cancer; peripheral blood mononuclear cells; tnf-α
• ISSN: 2158-0510; 2158-0529
• DOI: 10.21103/Article14(3)_OA7

Background: Cytokines play a crucial role in modulating the immune cells' response to tumors. Utilizing IL-18 and IL-12 as immunotherapeutic agents has gained much attention for cancer treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effect of combined stimulation with IL-12 and IL-18 on the ability of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from Egyptian ovarian cancer (OC) patients to produce IFN-γ and TNF-α. Methods and Results: This in vitro study included 8 patients with benign ovarian tumors, 8 patients with low-grade OC, and 8 patients with high-grade OC. PBMCs were stimulated with IL-12 (10ng/ml) and IL-18 (50ng/ml) for 7 days. The levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α were quantified before and after stimulation by quantitative sandwich ELISA. Stimulated PBMCs isolated from patients with low-grade OC showed good ability to produce high levels of IFN-γ, while stimulated PBMCs isolated from patients with high-grade OC patients showed good and high production of TNF-α. Conclusion: We found that the combined stimulation with IL-12 and IL-18 significantly enhances the production of IFN-γ and TNF-α by PBMCs in OC patients, suggesting a potential avenue for cancer immunotherapy.