Can humoral immunity enhance development of skin tumors?

摘要

Antibodies can generate inflammatory conditions that facilitate malignant progression in a mouse model of skin cancer. Mice genetically selected for High and Low antibody production treated with DMBA were used to study the association between humoral immunity and tumor susceptibility. The present study showed that mice selected for High antibody response are more sensitive to DMBA-induced carcinogenesis than Low responder mice, presenting lesions that progressed to skin papillomas and lung tumors. Production of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha were increased in treated mice. Low responder mice produced more IL-6 while High responder mice showed higher levels of IL-10 and TGF-beta. Our results suggest that the genetic selection for humoral response could interfere in the predisposition to skin tumorigenesis.