Heat labile enterotoxin of E. coli: a potential adjuvant for transcutaneous cancer immunotherapy.

Escherichia coli heat labile enterotoxin (LT) has been shown to penetrate intact skin and to activate adaptive immunity. A nontoxic mutant, nLT, and its B subunit (LTB), have been evaluated separately for their potential use as a tool for transcutaneous delivery of antigens for cancer immunotherapy. We have shown that FITC-labeled nLT is taken up by human dendritic cells (hDC) in vitro and in mouse skin, and induces maturation and activation of hDC in vitro.