Immunostimulating staphylococcal lipoteichoic acid prevents pulmonary tumor colonization in BALB/c-mice.

Immunostimulating and antineoplastic activities of staphylococcal lipoteichoic acid (LTA) were studied in Balb/c-mice. Systemic administration of LTA (1 mg or 2 mg i. p., 7 and 4 days prior to challenge) significantly enhanced chemiluminescence response of peritoneal macrophages (p less than 0.0125) and induced enlargement of the spleen (p less than 0.025) as compared to non-treated controls. In vivo the number of lung colonies was significantly lower (p less than 0.0125) in LTA-treated mice 14 days after challenge with L-1 sarcoma cells.