Dendritic Cell Activation and Antigen Delivery by Cationic Lipids

摘要

A simple but potent therapeutic cancer vaccine consisting of a peptide antigen which is the major CTL epitope of the E7 oncoprotein of HPV, and a cationic lipid DOTAP was developed. A single subcutaneous injection of E7 peptide encapsulated in the DOTAP liposomes (DOTAP/E7) induces tumor regression in all treated mice, correlating well with T lymphocyte infiltration, antigen specific CTL activity and IFN-γ production in the immunized mice. Besides the antigen delivery, results also show that DOTAP initiates multiple signaling pathways leading to dendritic cell (DC) activation and cytokines/chemokines induction through generation of moderate amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS).