Ex vivo expansion of human peripheral blood natural killer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes from lung cancer patients

• Published in: Oncology letters Vol. 15; no. 4; pp. 5730 - 5738
• Main Authors: Nhung, Hoang Thi My, Anh, Bui Viet, Huyen, Truong Linh, Hiep, Doan Trung, Thao, Chu Thi, Lam, Phung Nam, Liem, Nguyen Thanh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece Spandidos Publications 01-04-2018; Spandidos Publications UK Ltd; D.A. Spandidos
• Subjects: Care and treatment; Development and progression; Health aspects; Immunotherapy; Killer cells; Lung cancer; Lymphocyte receptors; Lymphocytes; Methods; Mortality; Patient outcomes; T cell receptors; Vietnam; Japan; cytokine-induced killer cells; lung cancer; peripheral blood mononuclear cells; natural killer cells; cytotoxic T lymphocytes
• ISSN: 1792-1074; 1792-1082
• DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.8029

Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer with the highest cancer-associated mortality rates worldwide, as well as in Vietnam. Numerous studies have demonstrated that higher numbers and higher rate of activity of infiltrating natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in the tumor are closely correlated with positive prognosis, tumor size decrease and longer survival of lung cancer patients. In the present study, the effectiveness of BINKIT
kit in the
expansion of NK cells and CTLs in the peripheral blood of 7 patients aged between 30 and 84 years with metastatic lung cancer was evaluated. After 21 days of culture, the average number of CTLs (CD3
CD8
) increased by 742.3-fold in the CTL culture, accounting for 72.2% of the cultured cell population, and the mean cell viability was 95.7%. In the NK cell culture, the average number of NK cells (CD3
CD56
) increased by 637.5-fold, accounting for 84.3% of the cultured cell population, with an average viability of 94.7%. The percentage of active NK cells (CD3
CD56
bright) was 82.1%, which increased by 408.9-fold. Notably, a close correlation was identified between the numbers of cytokine-induced killer (CD3
CD56
) and NK (CD3
CD56
) cells in the NK cell culture (P<0.05). In the two culture conditions (namely NK cell and CTL cultures), no clear correlation was identified between the rate of initial immune cells in the peripheral blood and the corresponding number following
expansion (P>0.05). These results revealed that the method of expansion and activation of NK cells and CTLs from peripheral blood was successfully applied using BINKIT, and reached the requirements for clinical applications in cancer treatment in Vietnam.