Supernatants of tumours treated with chemotherapy can alter tumour growth and development in vivo

Abstract

Background: Tumour-derived supernatants are comprised of bioactive substances that have the capacity to transform host systems rendering them more supportive of tumour growth. Certain chemotherapies are able to alter the make-up of these supernatants.

Materials and methods: We explored the effects that vaccination with supernatants derived from tumours may have on tumour growth in a BALB/c model.

Results: A number of cytokines were detected in the supernatants capable of increasing B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) protein expression in cancer cells; of note, significantly higher levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were detected in chemotherapy-treated supernatants compared to controls. Vaccinating mice with supernatants from untreated tumours significantly impeded the growth of sub-cutaneous-implanted tumours. However, this anticancer effect was significantly diminished if the supernatants used were from cancer cells treated with gemcitabine.

Conclusion: The study lends in vivo support to the idea that tumours produce bioactive components that can influence host biology and that certain chemotherapies can negate these.

Keywords: GM-CSF; Tumour-supernatants; chemotherapy; murine model.