Abstract: BACKGROUND ＆ AIM: To prepare a fusion vaccine with esophageal carcinoma cell (EC109)and dendritic cells(DC), and to study the protective and therapeutic effects against EC109 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fusion vaccine of EC109-DC(ED) was produced by traditional PEG fusing, cytokine inducing, CD34＋ magnetic microbead marker sorting, and MACS(magnetic cell sorting system). The therapeutic and protective effects of the fusion vaccine against tumor EC109 were analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The fusion cells ED expressed high levels of FR(folate receptor), CD80, CD83 and CD86. No tumor was found in the spleen, lung and liver of mice after the injection of fusion vaccine ED. In the immuned group, latent period was longer in ED subgroup than in others, and tumor size and tumor weight were also less than those in ED subgroup. In the therapeutic group, tumor size and tumor weight were less in ED subgroup than in control(PBS group), inactivated EC109 and DC group. CONCLUSION: The fusion cells EC109-DC expressed specific antigens. The fusion vaccine didn＇t have oncogenetic effects in vivo, but demonstrated immunologic protection against tumor EC109 and certain effect on inhibiting tumor growth in mice.

Key words: dendritic cells, esophageal carcinoma cell, cell fusion, immunologic protection, immunotherapy