Abstract
Liver transplantation (LT) is currently considered an important method in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and an alternative treatment for other liver malignancies. Here, we demonstrated that the graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect exists in allogeneic liver transplantation (allo LT). Recipient-derived T cells played a critical role in the GVT process of allo LT, as demonstrated by extensive infiltration and significant activation of recipient T cells in the tumor after surgery. Moreover, this process was related to donor-derived T/B cells by improving the immune microenvironment in the tumor, as demonstrated by elevated levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-6, IL-16, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10), and CXCL11 and decreased levels of IL-10 and IL-4 at tumor sites. Additionally, tacrolimus (FK506) treatment inhibited the GVT effect on allo LT. Donor liver-derived T/B cells infiltrate extrahepatic tumors to trigger a strong T-cell-mediated immune response and thus improve the tumor immune microenvironment.