Abstract
Data from microcytotoxicity assays of cell-mediated reactivity to three transplantable rat hepatomas, DB-1, DB-2E, and FB, induced by 3'-methyl-dimethyl-aminoazobenzene and N-2-fluorenylacetamide, as well as fetal cells, indicate that rat hepatomas have individually unique tumor antigens as well as antigen(s) shared with the fetal cells. Lymph node cells (LNC) from pregnant rats were cytotoxic to hepatoma cells and to fetal cells alike.
Cell-mediated reactivity against those hepatoma-specific antigens were demonstrated 8 days after inoculation of hepatoma cells to syngeneic rats and it persisted until the tumor nodules became large.
In rats inoculated with 106 hepatoma cells, a palpable nodule was seen after a week and continued to grow slowly for 3-4 weeks, after which they grew more rapidly. Trace amounts of AFP were detected in the sera taken 5 to 14 days after the inoculation and they had increased rapidly by 36 days with the growth of tumor nodule and then increased only little.
