• 혜화의학회지
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.87-96
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• 2012

Aim : Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes that lyse certain tumor- and virus-infected cells without any prior stimulation or immunization. This article aims to review the significance of evaluating peripheral blood NK cells to predict anti-tumor immune function and prognosis in cancer patients. Methods : PubMed was used to create a database for this review. Search words of cancer, natural killer cell, prognosis were used to retrieve related articles. References of the collected articles were also reviewed. Results : Current evidence indicates that decreased or absent NK cell count or activity is mostly associated with the development or progression of cancer. In patients with various types of cancer, NK cell activity was mostly associated with the cancer prognosis and survival despite some conflicting results. Conclusion : The data shows the evaluation of anti-tumor immunity in cancer patients through natural killer cell measurement still remains a controversial matter. However, it is clear that the NK cell activity plays an important role in cancer and is associated with prevention of both early stage and metastatic cancer.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.101-112
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• 1992

원발성 아메바성 수막뇌염을 일으키는 병원성이 강한 자유생환 아에바인 Acanthnmogbn culbertsoni이 영양형을 CSH/HeJ 마우스에 $1{\times}I0^4과{\;}1{\times}10^5$마리씩을 각각 감염시킨 후 12시 간, 1일, 2일, 5일, 10일 째에 감염 마우스를 희생하여 비장 세포의 부유액을 만들어 YAC-1 표적세포에 대한 세포독성을 $^{51}Cr$ 방출 검사법으로 측정하였고 단세포 독성 검사법으로 표적세포 결합능, 환성 자연살세포, 더 나아가 최대 자연살세포 살해능 및 최대 재순환능을 측정하였다. 감염 마우스의 사망률은 아메바 영양형 $1{\times}10^4$마리를 감염시켰을 때 34%이었으며 $1{\times}10^5$을 감염시켰을 때는 65%이었다. 또한 접종 후 20일까지 사망한 마우스의 평균 생존 기간은 각각 $16.40{\pm}3.50,{\;}13.20{\pm}4.09$ 일이었다. 자연살세포의 세포독성은 두 실험군 모두에서 아메바 접종 후 12시간 째에 대조군에 비하여 유의하게 증가하기 시작하여 접종 후 1일 째 가장 높았다. 2일 후에는 대조군과 비슷한 수준을 보였고 전종 후 10일 째에는 대조군에 비해 저하되었으며, 두 실험군 간에 차이는 발견할 수 없었다. 아메바 영양형 $1{\times}10^5$마리를 감염시킨 군에서 표적세포 결합능은 접종 후 12시간, 1일째에 유의하게 증가하였고 환성 연살세포도 비슷한 경향으로 증가하였으나 재순환능은 감염 겹과 시간 별로 대조군과 비교하여 차이를 발견할 수 없었다. 이상의 결과를 종합하면 A. culbertsoni 감염에 의해 비장세포의 자연살세포 독성이 증가하였는데, 이는 자연살세포의 표적세포 결합능과 활성 자연살세포수의 증가와 유의한 상관관계가 있고(p<0.05) 자연살세포의 재순환능과는 무관한 것으로 나타났다.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제32권2호
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• pp.245-250
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• 1992

This study was performed to demonstrate the presence of large granular lymphocyte(LGL) in Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats and morphologically observe NK cell and also establish the method of isolation of natural killer cell in SD rats. By percoll discontinuous density gradients centrifugation, highly enriched LGL population were shown to fraction 2(border line between 44.2% and 50.8%). LGL were shown to bind selectively to YAC1 mouse lymphoma cell. This fraction expressed very high NK cell cytolysis. Therefore, we thought that LGL have NK activity in SD rats. The Morphology of rat LGL is very similar to that of human LGL. These cells have an eccentric kidney-shaped nucleus. Their most distinctive feature was their cytoplasmic azurophilic granules. Another distinguishing feature of rat LGL was their high cytoplasmic : nuclear ratio. It was concluded that LGL played a role part in mediating natural killer activity in this species.

• 약학회지
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.113-119
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• 2002

The composition of monosaccharides of acidic polysaccharide isolated from ethanol-insoluble and water-soluble fractions of red ginseng roots was analysed and its immunological activities were investigated. Red ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP) was composed of glucose (26.1 mole %), arabinose (1.6 mole %), glucuroninc acid (51.8 mol %) and galacturonic acid (5.1 mole %) as determined by gas liquid chromatography. Addition of RGAP increased production of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-$\alpha$ in the rodent macrophage cultures. Peritoneal macrophages from RGAP-treated mice exhibited potent tumoricidal activities toward P815 and WEHI 164 tumor cells. It was also observed that concentrations of NO and TNF-$\alpha$ were high in the culture medium of macrophages from the mice administered with RGAP. Moreover, treatment of RGAP in vivo stimulated tumoricidal activities of natural killer (NK) cells. Treatment with RGAP increased life span of sarcoma 180-bearing mice and decreased tumor weights of B16-tumor-bearing mice. These results suggest that activation of macrophages and NK cells serve to enhance in vivo anticancer activities of RGAP.

• 약학회지
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• 제54권3호
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• pp.192-199
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• 2010

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common alimentary malignancies. In this study, the antitumor activity of activated human natural killer (NK) cells against human colorectal cancer was evaluated in vivo. Human NK cells are the key contributors of innate immune response and the effective functions of these cells are enhanced by cytokines. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were cultured with interleukin-2 (IL-2)-containing medium for 14 days and resulted in enriched NK cell population. The resulting populations of the cells comprised 7% $CD3^+CD4^+$ cells, 25% $CD3^+CD8^+$ cells, 13% $CD3^-CD8^+$ cells, 4% $CD3^+$CD16/$CD56^+$ cells, 39% $CD3^+$CD16/$CD56^-$ cells, and 52% $CD3^-$CD16/$CD56^+$ cells. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-$\alpha$), interferon gamma (IFN-$\gamma$), IL-2, IL-4, and IL-5 transcripts of the activated NK cells were confirmed by RT-PCR. In addition, activated NK cells at doses of 2.5, 5 and 10 million cells per mouse inhibited 10%, 34% and 47% of SW620-induced tumor growth in nude mouse xenograft assays, respectively. This study suggests that NK cell-based immunotherapy may be used as an adoptive immunotherapy for colorectal cancer patients.

• 약학회지
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• 제55권3호
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• pp.267-272
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• 2011

Human NK cells, identified 30 years ago based on their ability to spontaneously kill tumor cells, constitute a subset of lymphocytes, which play an important role in the first line of immune defense and the effective function of these cells are enhanced by cytokines. Lung carcinoma has been one of the most commonly diagonosed cancer as well as the leading cause of cancer death in male. Here we provide the evidence that human natural killer cells has inhibitory effects on tumor growth of human lung cancer cell NCI-H460 (non-small cell lung cancer). Enriched NK cell population was obtained by 2 weeks cultivation in interleukin-2(IL-2)-containing medium. The resulting population comprised 26% CD3$^+$ cells, 9% CD3$^+$CD4$^+$ cells, 16% CD3$^+$CD8$^+$ cells, 76% CD56$^+$ cells, 6% CD3$^+$CD56$^+$ cells and 70% CD3$^-$CD56$^+$ cells. Activated NK cells at doese of 2.5, 5, and 10 million cells per mouse inhibited 2%, 12% and 45% of NCI-H460-induced tumor growth in nude mouse xenograft assays, repectively. This result suggests that NK cell-based immunotherapy may be used as an adoptive immunotherapy for lung cancer patients.

• 생약학회지
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.293-299
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• 1998

The effects of Buthus martensi Karsch (BMK) on natural killer (NK) cell activity in mouse spleen were studied. Water extracted solution of BMK was orally administrated to Balb/c mice for 2 weeks. Among splenic cells, T cell fractions were separated by Nylon wool column. Furthermore, NK cell purification was performed 4.5% percoll gradients methods. The cytotoxcity of NK cell to K562 cell was determined by lactic acid dehydrogenase and $[^3H]-thymidine $ incorporation methods. And the cytotoxicity of effector cell was most effectively induced in a ration of 50:1 (effector/target cell). As a result, cytotoxicity of NK cells was significantly increased compared with control group both in vivo and in vitro systems. The similar cytotoxic effect was shown in $[^3H]-thymidine $ incorporation methods. This suggests that when BMK is administrated to mice with malignant tumors, an increase in NK cell activity may occur and affect K562 tumor cells.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.193-197
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• 2008

The influence of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) on the bone marrow (BM) natural suppressor (NS) cells of intact Ehrlich carcinoma -bearing CBA mice was studied. Bone marrow NS cells were fractionated into three fractions by isopycnic centrifugation on percoll gradients: NS1 (${\rho}$=1.080 g/ml), NS2 (${\rho}$=1.090 g/ml) and NS3 (1.100> ${\rho}$ > 1.090 g/ml). These fractions were highly different in their sensitivity to known NS cell inductors (interleukin (IL)-2, IL-3 or histamine). None of the NS fractions isolated from the intact mice spontaneously produced antiproliferative activity, however, they showed a high level of NS (antiproliferative and natural killer cell inhibitory) activity under the influence of AFP. A single injection of AFP to intact mice led to an increase of spontaneous NS activity and the inhibition of natural killer cell activity. NS activity, especially NS2, was increased in when tumor cells were subcutaneously inoculated three days after AFP injection. In the AFP-treated mice, the tumor mass at 14 days was 60% larger than that in the untreated mice. Our data confirmed that AFP is a tumor marker that can inhibit cancer immunity and plays a role in cancer pathogenesis.

• 생약학회지
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.233-239
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• 1991

Phellinus linteus was examined for its anticancer activity using an animal model. Water extract of Phellinus linteus was prepared from artificially cultivated mycelia. Neither toxicity nor abnormal changes of hematological parameters were observed in the rat given orally with high doses of drug extract for 15 days. ICR mice were transplanted with Sarcoma-180 tumor cells intraperitoneally and drug extract was daily given to the mice from 1 day after tumer transplantation for 3 weeks. Administration of drug extract significantly prolonged the survival duration of Sarcoma 180-transplanted mice. For the better understanding of the anticancer activity, we have examined the effect of the drug extract administration on various killer cell functions, such as natural killer(NK) cells, cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) and macrophages which have been known to be main effector cells in immune responses against tumors. The results from the 4 hr $^{51}Cr-release$ assay have shown that the drug extract augments mouse NK cell activity but neither CTL nor macrophages. It is possible, then, that the anticancer activity of the Phellinus linteus may be associated with augmentation of NK cell function in the cancerated hosts.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권18호
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• pp.7857-7861
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• 2014

Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in anti-tumor immunity. Interleukin (IL)-18 is an immunoregulatory cytokine that induces potent NK cell-dependent anti-tumor responses when administrated with other cytokines. In this study, we explored the effects of combining IL-18 and IL-2 on NK cytotoxicity as well as expression levels of the NK cell receptor NKG2D in vitro. Freshly isolated PBMCs were incubated for 48 h with IL-18 and IL-2, then CD107a expression on $CD3^-CD56^+$ NK cells was determined by three-colour flow cytometry to evaluate the cytotoxicity of NK cells against human erythroleukemia K562 cells and human colon carcinoma HT29 cells. Flow cytometric analysis was also employed to determine NKG2D expression on NK cells. The combined use of IL-18 and IL-2 significantly increased CD107a expression on NK cells compared with using IL-18 or IL-2 alone, suggesting that the combination of these two cytokines exerted synergistic enhancement of NK cytotoxicity. IL-18 also enhanced NKG2D expression on NK cells when administered with IL-2. In addition, blockade of NKG2D signaling with NKG2D-blocking antibody attenuated the up-regulatory effect of combining IL-18 and IL-2 on NK cytolysis. Our data revealed that IL-18 synergized with IL-2 to dramatically enhance the cytolytic activity of human NK cells in a NKG2D-dependent manner. The results appear encouraging for the use of combined IL-18 and IL-2 in tumor immunotherapy.