Fig. 5

While there was varying effects on DC maturational capacity induced by distinct gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma types, oesophageal, rectal and colonic TME inhibited DC secreted TNF-α. This model summarises that treatment of DCs with GI TCM revealed differential effects on DC maturational capacity with oesophageal cancer enhancing most markers, rectal cancer enhancing three markers and with colonic cancer inhibiting most markers. In addition, 2Gy-irradiation of the TME inhibited LPS-induced levels of DC markers. Differential levels of angiogenic and inflammatory mediators in ex vivo TMEs correlated with effects on DC surface markers, with IL-2 positively correlating and with Ang2 and bFGF negatively correlating with the DC maturation marker CD54. Regardless of the effect on DC surface markers, the TME of all GI tract cancer types significantly inhibited DC secreted TNF-α levels