Partial reconstitution of virus-specific memory CD8+ T cells following whole body γ-irradiation

Recovery Profiles of T-Cell Subsets Following Low-Dose Total Body Irradiation and Improvement With Cinnamon

PURPOSE

Inefficient T-cell reconstitution from x-ray-induced immune damage reduces antitumor response. To understand the profile of T-cell reconstitution after irradiation will overcome the barrier of antitumor immunity. This study aimed to identify the recovery profile of T-cell subsets following x-ray irradiation and to highlight the role of cinnamon on efficient T-cell restoration postexposure in the antitumor response.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

CD3(+), CD8(+), and CD4(+) T cells and Th1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory T (Treg) cells were evaluated at different time points after single low-dose total body irradiation (SLTBI) with or without cinnamon treatments. T-bet, GATA3, RORγt, and Foxp3 signaling specific for Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg were also analyzed by RT-PCR assay. The effects of cinnamon on efficient T-cell subset reconstitution was confirmed in a lung melanoma model in irradiated mice.

RESULTS

Reconstitution of CD4(+) T cells was delayed more than that of CD8(+) T cells in T-cell restoration after SLTBI. The production of IFNγ by Th1 or Tc1 cells was sharply decreased and was accompanied by reduced T-bet mRNA, even when total T-cell numbers had recovered; the frequencies of Th17 and Treg cells and their specific transcription factors (RORγt and Foxp3, respectively) were obviously increased. Irradiation-induced inefficient T-cell reconstitution impaired the antitumor capacities in the lung melanoma model. Pretreatment with cinnamon in irradiated mice accelerated the generation of Th1 and reduced the differentiation of Treg cells by activating T-bet and limiting transcriptions of Foxp3. Improvement resulting from cinnamon pretreatment on the efficient T-cell recovery profile from SLTBI promoted antitumor immunity in the lung melanoma model.

CONCLUSIONS

T-cell reconstitution from SLTBI was characterized by impaired Th1 and elevated Th17 and Treg cells. Cinnamon effectively improved the imbalance of T-cell subsets by promoting the proliferation of Th1 and by suppressing expansions of Th17 and Tregs. The role of cinnamon in efficient T-cell reconstitution from SLTBI is effective in antitumor immunity.

Resistance of CD45RA- T cells to apoptosis and functional impairment, and activation of tumor-antigen specific T cells during radiation therapy of prostate cancer

The effect of radiation therapy (RT) to the pelvis on circulating T cells was studied in prostate cancer (PCa) patients to provide a baseline for a more informed design of combination radioimmunotherapy. Peripheral blood samples taken from 12 PCa patients with locally advanced tumor before, during, and after hypofractionated RT were analyzed for T cell phenotype and function. There was significantly more loss of naive and early memory compared with more differentiated T cells during RT. The proportions of annexin-V(+) and Fas-expressing T cells were elevated in patients during RT and in PBMC irradiated in vitro (< or = 5.0 Gy), with preferential increases in CD45RA(+) T cells. The baseline level of apoptosis of CD45RA(-) T cells increased > 2-fold in the presence of an IkappaB-kinase inhibitor, indicating a protective effect via this pathway. T cell proliferation was impaired during RT with IL-2-dependent recovery post-RT. Recall T cell responses to common viral Ags, measured by IFN-gamma production, were little affected by RT. In vitro irradiation of healthy donor PBMCs resulted in a significantly increased frequency of responding T cells, due at least partly to the preferential elimination of CD45RA(+) T cells. Most importantly, antitumor CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell responses were detectable after, but not before or during RT. The results indicate that generating tumor-specific T cell responses before RT and boosting their activity post-RT are ways likely to amplify the frequency and function of antitumor T cells, with implications for scheduling immunotherapy in PCa.