Different roles of helper T lymphocytes during dendritic cells vaccine in experimental breast cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common women’s tumor. Treatments though effective, are often aggressive and leave the patients vulnerable to developing opportunistic infections. There is a need for less aggressive more effective new therapies. In this study, we have made an attempt to evaluate DCs immunotherapy by flow cytometry, analyzing the presence of infiltrating cells, cytokines and transcription factors in the spleens, lymph nodes and tumors of breast cancer mice undergoing immunotherapy. The 4T1 cell transfection was used to induce breast cancer in Balb/c mice aged 6 to 8 weeks. Mice were treated with 3 doses of DCs vaccine. After the treatment, animals were euthanized, the spleen, lymphnodes and tumors were removed and used to perform flow cytometry. Results have shown higher CD4+ T lymphocytes that produce IL-12 in the spleen of group treated with DCs vaccine (149,8-271,3) 172,4. Further, there was an increase in T-bet (976,1-1075) 1022 in the lymph nodes of tumor group treated with DCs and less FOXP3 (795,7 - 895) 832. Tumoral volume and the FOXP3 were decreased in the treated group. There was an increase in the transcription factor of Th1 profile, and of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, inferring a good immune response. With these observations, it can be concluded that the DC vaccine is effective in combating the development of tumors.