Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40045679›Full record

ArticleParasites, hosts and diseases2025

Anti-tumor effects of Toxoplasma gondii and antigen-pulsed dendritic cells in mice bearing breast cancer.

Bong Kyun Kim, Hei Gwon Choi, Jae-Hyung Lee, In Wook Choi, Jae-Min Yuk, Guang-Ho Cha, Young-Ha Lee

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites, hosts and diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Detection ofInfection and drug resistance · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Bong Kyun KimDepartment of Surgery, Daejeon St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 34943, Korea.
Hei Gwon ChoiBrain Korea 21 FOUR Project for Medical Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34956, Korea.
Jae-Hyung LeeBrain Korea 21 FOUR Project for Medical Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34956, Korea.
In Wook ChoiDepartment of Medical Science and Department of Infection Biology, Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Daejeon 34956, Korea.
Jae-Min YukBrain Korea 21 FOUR Project for Medical Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34956, Korea.
Guang-Ho ChaBrain Korea 21 FOUR Project for Medical Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34956, Korea.
Young-Ha LeeBrain Korea 21 FOUR Project for Medical Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34956, Korea.

Funding

Ministry of Science and ICTNational Research Foundation of Korea 2022R1A2B5B01001641
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cancer immunotherapy is widely used to treat various cancers to augment the weakened host immune response against tumors. Dendritic cells (DCs) are specialized antigen-presenting cells that play dual roles in inducing innate and adaptive immunity. Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that exhibits anti-tumor activity against certain types of cancers. However, little is known about the anti-tumor effects of T. gondii or tumor/parasite antigen-pulsed DCs (DC vaccines, DCV) in breast cancer. In this study, C57BL/6 mice were administered E0771 mouse breast cancer cells (Cancer-injected) subcutaneously, T. gondii Me49 cysts orally (TG-injected), or DCs pulsed with breast cancer cell lysate antigen and T. gondii lysate antigens (DCV-injected) intraperitoneally. Tumor size and immunological characteristics were subsequently evaluated. We also evaluated matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 levels in E0771 mouse breast cancer cells co-cultured with T. gondii or DCs by RT-PCR. The tumor volumes of mice injected with breast cancer cells and antigen-pulsed DCs (Cancer/DCV-injected mice) were similar to those of Cancer-injected mice; however, they were significantly reduced in T. gondii-infected tumor-bearing (TG/Cancer-injected) mice. Moreover, tumor volumes were significantly reduced by adding antigen-pulsed DCs (TG/Cancer/DCV-injected mice) compared to TG/Cancer-injected mice. The levels of IFN-γ, serum IgG2a levels, and CD8+ T cell populations were significantly higher in DCV- and TG-injected mice than in control mice, while no significant differences between Cancer- and Cancer/DCV-injected mice were observed. The levels of IFN-γ, the IgG2a levels, and the percentage of CD8+ T cells were significantly increased in TG/Cancer- and TG/Cancer/DCV-injected mice than in Cancer-injected mice. IFN-γ levels and serum IgG2a levels were further increased in TG/Cancer/DCV-injected mice than in TG/Cancer-injected mice. The MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA expressions were significantly decreased in mouse breast cancer cells co-cultured with live T. gondii, T. gondii lysate antigen, or antigen-pulsed DCs (DCV) but not in inactivated DCs. These results indicate that T. gondii induces anti-tumor effects in breast cancer-bearing mice through the induction of strong Th1 immune responses, but not in antigen-pulsed DCs alone. The addition of antigen-pulsed DCs further augments the anti-tumor effects of T. gondii.

Indexed as

Antigens, ProtozoanBreast NeoplasmsCancer VaccinesDendritic CellsToxoplasmaAnimalsCell Line, TumorFemaleImmunotherapyInterferon-gammaMatrix Metalloproteinase 2Matrix Metalloproteinase 9MiceMice, Inbred C57BLAntigens, ProtozoanCancer VaccinesInterferon-gammaMatrix Metalloproteinase 2Matrix Metalloproteinase 9anti-tumor activitybreast neoplasmscancer immunotherapydendritic cell vaccineTh1 immune responseToxoplasma gondii

Identifiers

PMID40045679
PMCPMC11895089

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.