Chemoimmunomodulation of human dendritic cells by 5-fluorouracil

• Grant number: 13/19717-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2013
• End date: September 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Ramon Kaneno
• Grantee: Sophia Miquelle Ceron Gimenez Ribeiro Sartori
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Previous studies of this group have demonstrated that treatment of HCT-116 colon cancer cells with low concentrations of paclitaxel induces the expression of mRNA of different heat shock proteins (HSP). These proteins are usually generated as a defense mechanism of stressed cells. However HSPs are able to drive the cross-presentation of antigen peptides in the MHC class I context, and to activate immunocompetent cells as well. Therefore, HSPs play an important role on the activation of macrophages and lymphocytes, and on maturation of dendritic cells (DC). Continuing our investigation, the goal of this study is to verify whether 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), commonly used for colorectal cancer chemotherapy, is also able to modulate DC. Then, monocyte-derived DC from healthy donors will be treated with minimum effective (MEC) or nontoxic (NTC) concentrations of 5-FU, followed by the analysis of DC phenotype (flow cytometry) and the ability to induce allogeneic response (MLR).