The tumor promoters mezerein and phorbol myristate acetate, and the phorbol diesters phorbol diacetate, phorbol dibenzoate, and phorbol didecanoate synergistically enhanced the production of lymphotoxin (LT) by phytohemagglutinin-stimulated human peripheral blood or tonsil and adenoid lymphocytes. LT production was elevated 2-20-fold, depending on such parameters as the nature of the promoter and dose, the lectin dose, and the lymphocyte source. The increased LT levels were primarily due to enhanced production of the alpha-light (alpha L) class of LT. The alpha L-class obtained from supernatants from promoter-synergized, lectin-stimulated lymphocyte cultures was compared with the alpha L from lectin-stimulated cultures. They were indistinguishable by molecular sieving on Ultrogel AcA44, were both composed primarily of the alpha 2-subclass as determined by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose, and were immunologically cross-reactive. Lectin-affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose and on lentil-lectin--Sepharose revealed that both alpha L preparations were dominated by components with affinity for these matrices. Affinity chromatography on alkyl sorbents also indicated very similar hydrophobicities. Chromatofocusing of the alpha L preparations demonstrated a comparable pattern of isoelectric points. Thus, the use of these drugs in lectin-stimulated human lymphocyte cultures provides an effective means for significantly increasing the yield of alpha L-LT suitable for biochemical purification and analysis, and biological testing in vitro.

Thioglycollate-elicited C57BL/6 peritoneal exudate macrophage monolayers (PEMM) stimulated with poly I . poly C or LPS released a macrophage cytotoxin (MCT) that rapidly bound to syngeneic (EL 4) or allogeneic (NS-1, YAC-1) tumor cells but did not bind to normal splenocytes. No binding to human (K562) tumor cells was observed. PEMM stimulated with poly I . poly C destroyed allogeneic tumor cells (NS-1) when separated by cell-impermeable Millipore filters in vitro; in contrast, PEMM not stimulated with poly I . poly C were incapable of lysing targets when separated by membranes. The reversible inhibitors N alpha-p-tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester and soybean trypsin inhibitor and the irreversible inhibitors N alpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, of trypsin-like proteases, significantly or totally inhibited MCT cell-lytic activity for L-929 cells in vitro. Furthermore, modification of MCT-associated arginine residues by 1,2-cyclohexanedione completely blocked lytic activity. MCT was concluded to be an inducible nonspecific cell-lytic effector molecule elaborated by activated macrophages, which could bind to potential target cells, and was itself or was associated with a protease.

A cloned subline of the human monocytic leukemia cell line, THP-1, was induced to produce high levels of cytotoxic activity following an 18-hour phorbol myristate acetate (CAS: 16561-29-8) stimulation in vitro. This activity, termed monocyte cell line cytotoxin(s) (MCCT), was tested in vitro on different human continuous cell lines (Chang, ESH-7, GM3104A, HeLa, HT-1080, K562, Mel, T-24) and on primary human fibroblasts (GM3468, Manz). The continuous cell lines exhibited a spectrum of sensitivity to MCCT-containing supernatants whereas the primary fibroblasts were resistant to lysis. Enzymatic degradation and heat denaturation studies indicate that MCCT is a protein. Its bioactivity can be resolved into three lytic peaks after molecular sieving on Ultrogel AcA 44. The major peak, designated alpha MCCT, eluted with a molecular weight of 100,000-140,000 daltons. A minor peak, beta MCCT, was seen at 60,000-80,000 daltons, and a third, unstable minor peak, gamma MCCT, eluted at less than 10,000 daltons. The alpha-lytic peak was examined further and was found to migrate as a single peak in 7% native polyacrylamide gel electrolysis tube gels with an rf of 0.25-0.30. None of the MCCT forms were immunologically cross-reactive with human alpha-lymphotoxin. Various protease inhibitors known to inhibit monokine- and macrophage-mediated direct cell lysis in vitro were tested for their inhibitory effects on alpha MCCT activity. The irreversible binding inhibitor N alpha-p-tosyl-L-lysyl chloromethyl ketone inhibited the biologic activity of alpha MCCT. The reversible binding inhibitors N alpha-p-tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester and soybean trypsin inhibitor were able to block in vitro lytic activity when added to alpha MCCT in the presence of the target cell. In contrast, the inhibitors phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, L-1-tosylamide, 2-phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone, and N alpha-acetyl-L-lysine methyl ester were not effective in blocking cytolysis. Finally, the hydrogen peroxide scavenger catalase inhibited alpha MCCT lytic activity in vitro; however, the hypochlorous acid scavengers alanine, serine, and valine were without effect.

Peritoneal exudate macrophage monolayers (PEMM) from C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice inoculated ip with tumor allografts were induced to release in vitro labile cell toxin(s), herein called "macrophage cytotoxin(s)" (MCT). Macrophages released MCT spontaneously for a short interval when initially established as monolayers, and they were reinduced to secrete MCT by exposure to allogeneic and syngeneic tumor cells (but not to normal cells) and by exposure to polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I . poly C) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). PEMM from normal mice treated ip 3 days previously with thioglycollate were also induced to release toxins in vitro. These cells did not release MCT spontaneously before or after treatment with neoplastic cells but were induced to release MCT by exposure to poly I . poly C or LPS. Resident peritoneal macrophages did not release MCT either spontaneously or after treatment with tumor cells, poly I . poly C, or LPS. MCT released from alloimmune mice stimulated with syngeneic or allogeneic tumor cells were resolved by molecular sieving into a major peak at 140,000--160,000 daltons, called "alpha-MCT," and into a minor peak at 60,000 daltons, called "beta-MCT." However, supernatants from thioglycollate-induced PEMM, stimulated with poly I . poly C or LPS, appeared to be composed entirely of the alpha-class. alpha-MCT from poly I . poly C-stimulated PEMM caused 31--56% lysis of syngeneic EL-4 and allogeneic L-929, NS-1, and YAC-1 tumor cells in vitro but was not cytotoxic for normal cells. Secretion of the MCT by PEMM derived from thioglycollate-treated animals stimulated with poly I . poly C was inhibited by colchicine, emetine, iodoacetic acid, trypan blue, and cytochalasin B.

The cytotoxic effects of activated peritoneal macrophages and the J774 reticulum cell sarcoma cell line on B16 melanoma cells of differing metastatic potential were investigated in vitro. The melanoma target cells were sublines of low (B16-F1) or high (B16-F10) lung colonization potential as well as a subline of high (B16-B14b) brain colonization ability. Thioglycolate-elicited peritoneal macrophages from syngeneic C57BL/6 mice and J774 cells were activated in vitro with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) and used as effector cells. Macrophage-mediated cytolysis was determined by means of 24- to 72-hour radioactivity release assays with [125I]5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine-labeled melanoma cells; the results indicated that the more metastatic sublines B16-F10 and B16-B14b were less susceptible to cytolysis by activated macrophages and J774 cells than was the poorly metastatic B16-F1 subline. The poly I:C-activated effector cells also released soluble cytotoxin(s), which resulted in melanoma cell lysis and growth inhibition. Cytotoxin-mediated melanoma cell cytolysis was determined by counting the number of viable mitomycin-treated target cells remaining after a 40-hour incubation period in the absence or presence of various concentrations of cell-released factors, and cytotoxin-mediated cytostasis was performed with the use of the same procedures without mitomycin pretreatment of targets. The factors released from both activated macrophages and J774 cells were more effective against the poorly metastatic B16-F1 cells than against the highly metastatic B16-F10 or B16-F14b cells. In addition, the activity of the factors from both activated effector cells was inhibited by fetal bovine serum. The J774 cells and the activated peritoneal macrophages demonstrated similar activities against B16 melanoma variants, indicating that the J774 cell line may be suitable as a model for the study of macrophage cytotoxicity. The results suggested that the potential of the highly metastatic melanoma cells to implant, survive, and grow at secondary sites may be due, in part, to their ability to circumvent host antitumor mechanisms.