Augmentation of impaired tumoricidal function in alveolar macrophages from lung cancer patients by cocultivation with allogeneic, but not autologous lymphocytes

It has been reported that the in vitro development of tumoricidal function in alveolar macrophages from lung cancer patients is reduced significantly when compared to that in peripheral blood monocytes from the same patients or alveolar macrophages from control patients. In the present investigation, a method for potentiating the development of tumoricidal function in alveolar macrophages from lung cancer patients is described. This method, which relies on priming the macrophages with purified, allogeneic peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal donors, could not be demonstrated when autologous lymphocytes from lung cancer patients were used in the priming coculture. The augmentation of tumoricidal function appears to be mediated by one or more soluble factors, since supernatants from cocultures of alveolar macrophages and allogeneic peripheral blood lymphocytes could enhance the cytotoxic function of freshly obtained alveolar macrophages. Furthermore, it appears that NK cells are necessary for this effect, since depletion of CD56+/CD57+ cells from allogeneic lymphocytes eliminated their capacity to enhance alveolar macrophage cytotoxic function. The augmentation of cytotoxic function elicited in alveolar macrophages by this method was not associated with changes in the secretion of tumor necrosis factor α, or interleukin 1β.