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Recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (rHuTNF) was evaluated both for direct anti-tumor action against human malignant mesothelioma and for its capacity to augment the generation and lytic phases of lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity against this tumor. rHuTNF was directly toxic by MTT assay to one of two mesothelioma cell lines evaluated, but had no effect on susceptibility to subsequent lymphocyte-mediated lysis of either line. TNF alone was incapable of generating anti-mesothelioma lymphokine-activated killer cell (LAK) activity. Furthermore, it did not augment the degree or LAK activity produced by submaximal interleukin-2 (IL-2) concentrations nor did it augment lysis of mesothelioma cells by natural killer (NK) or LAK effector cells during the 4-hr 51chromium release cytolytic reaction. The studies also suggest that mesothelioma targets are less responsive to TNF plus submaximal IL-2 concentrations than the standard LAK sensitive target Daudi, raising the possibility that intermediate LAK sensitive tumors such as mesothelioma may require separate and specific evaluation in immunomodulation studies. This in vitro study indicates that use of low-dose rHuTNF and IL-2 is unlikely to be an effective substitute for high-dose IL-2 in generation and maintenance of LAK activity in adoptive immunotherapy for mesothelioma.

Human malignant mesothelioma (MM) cells are resistant to natural killer (NK) cell lysis but susceptible to lysis by lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells from control individuals. The present study was performed to determine the capacity of patients with MM (n = 22) and individuals occupationally exposed to asbestos (the major population at risk of developing this disease, n = 52) to generate LAK cells capable of effectively lysing human mesothelioma cells. Compared to controls (n = 20), both patient groups demonstrated significantly depressed LAK cell activity against mesothelioma tumor cell targets (55 +/- 3% lysis by controls vs 34 +/- 3% lysis by patients with MM, P less than 0.005; and 45 +/- 3% lysis by asbestos-exposed individuals, P less than 0.025). Addition of 10 micrograms/ml indomethacin during LAK cell generation restored normal LAK cell activity for patients with MM (52 +/- 6% lysis of cultured human MM cells, P = NS compared to controls), suggesting that the defective cytolytic cell function observed in some patients with MM is a result of prostaglandin-induced immunosuppression. The ability of indomethacin to restore suppressed LAK cell activity in patients with MM suggests that the concomitant use of this agent in ex vivo LAK cell generation and in patients undergoing interleukin/LAK cell therapy may be beneficial.