Cytokine therapy is commonly used for
tumor immunotherapy. Although early studies focused directly on the
tumor, current investigations are more attentive of the tumor microenvironment. Various immune cells and related
cytokines in the tumor microenvironment play an important role in the occurrence and development of
tumor.
Interleukin (IL)-17 is the characteristic
cytokine produced by Th17 cells.
IL-17 has been associated with various immune responses. The results of previous studies showed that
IL-17 can significantly reduce the size of transplanted
tumors in
tumor-bearing mice, albeit it has no effect on the survival time of mice. By investigating the effect of
IL-17 in the number and distribution of lymphocyte infiltration in
tumor tissues, the expression of
cytokines and
transcription factors associated with the subsets of CD4+T cells in
tumor tissues, the distribution of subsets of spleen lymphocyte in
tumor-bearing mice, a preliminary investigation of the possible antitumor mechanism of
IL-17 was performed. In conclusion, the antitumor effect of
IL-17 gene transfection in the
colon cancer of mice may be associated with the mechanisms whereby
IL-17 gene transfection can change the distribution of different subsets of spleen lymphocytes in mice.
IL-17 gene transfection can increase the number of lymphocyte infiltration in
tumor tissues.
IL-17 gene transfection can promote the high expression of
interferon-γ in
tumor tissue, while reducing the expression of
IL-10 and
IL-13 factors, thus exerting an antitumor effect.