Dialyzable Leukocyte Extract (Transfer Factor) as Adjuvant Immunotherapy in the Treatment of Cancer

On 1955, Lawrence discovered that a dialyzed of viable leukocytes obtained from a healthy donor presenting a positive percutaneous tuberculin test was able to transfer to a healthy receptor the ability to respond to this pathogen. Lawrence named these molecules as Transfer Factor (TF). TF is composed of peptides obtained from lymphocytes ranging from 3500-6000 kDa. T lymphocytes have the ability to express delayed-type hypersensitivity and cell mediated immunity from sensitized donors to noimmune recipients. TF plays a vital role in controlling immune over reactions and mistargeted responses in the development of autoimmune reactions. TF improves cellular immunity in patients with immune deficits due to their responsesare mediated by antigen-specific, inducer, and suppressor/regulatory activities contained in this fraction. Also, it has been observed that the mutagenic activity of whole TF and the suppressor activity to mutagen activation in TF is contained in Fraction I. Fraction II has a direct Chemiluminescence (CL) inductiveeffect on non-stimulated cells and increases the CL of phagocytes. Fraction III contains components responsible for the increases in the phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and pokeweed mutagen (PWM) responses. Antigen-specific fractions aid the function of recognizing and memorizing pathogenic organisms faster. TF also induces the antigenic stimulus whereas that the suppressor fraction acts by releasing IL-10, an inhibitory cytokine from Th2 cells. Therefore, TF could be considered as a new approach in the therapy of immune increasing in cancer.