AUTHOR=Schreiber Manfred , Macháček Tomáš , Vajs Vojtěch , Šmídová Barbora , Majer Martin , Hrdý Jiří , Tolde Ondřej , Brábek Jan , Rösel Daniel , Horák Petr 

TITLE=Suppression of the growth and metastasis of mouse melanoma by Taenia crassiceps and Mesocestoides corti tapeworms

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1376907

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2024.1376907

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Cancer is still one of the leading causes of death, with an estimated 19.3 million new cases every year. Our paper presents the tumor-suppressing effect of <italic>Taenia crassiceps</italic> and <italic>Mesocestoides corti</italic> on B16F10 melanoma, the intraperitoneal application of which followed the experimental infection with these tapeworms, resulting in varying degrees of effectiveness in two strains of mice. In the case of <italic>M. corti</italic>-infected ICR mice, a strong tumor growth suppression occurred, which was accompanied by a significant reduction in the formation of distant metastases in the liver and lung. Tapeworm-infected C57BL/6J mice also showed a suppression of tumor growth and, in addition, the overall survival of infected C57BL/6J mice was significantly improved. Experiments with potential cross-reaction of melanoma and tapeworm antigens with respective specific antibodies, restimulation of spleen T cells, or the direct effect of tapeworm excretory-secretory products on melanoma cells <italic>in vitro</italic> could not explain the phenomenon. However, infections with <italic>T. crassiceps</italic> and <italic>M. corti</italic> increased the number of leukocytes possibly involved in anti-tumor immunity in the peritoneal cavity of both ICR and C57BL/6J mice. This study unveils the complex interplay between tapeworm infections, immune responses, and melanoma progression, emphasizing the need for further exploration of the mechanisms driving observed tumor-suppressive effects.</p>