RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 A DNA Topoisomerase II Inhibitor Results in Ex Vivo Differentiation of THP-1 Cells and Activation of Dendritic Cells JF Anticancer Research JO Anticancer Res FD International Institute of Anticancer Research SP 6087 OP 6094 DO 10.21873/anticanres.15428 VO 41 IS 12 A1 YOUNG JIN CHO A1 HEEJAE LEE A1 JIHYEONG KIM A1 GYUNGYUB GONG A1 HEE JIN LEE A1 IN AH PARK YR 2021 UL http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/41/12/6087.abstract AB Background/Aim: Effective ex vivo maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) can increase the efficiency of cancer immunotherapy. We aimed to identify novel chemicals with the potential to differentiate and activate immature DCs (iDCs) to mature DCs (mDCs). Materials and Methods: The expression of surface markers on THP-1 monocytes treated with the screened compounds was analyzed using FACS. Subsequent DC subset analysis and secreted cytokine profiling were also performed. Results: FACS analysis showed that THP-1 cells treated with amsacrine hydrochloride, a DNA topoisomerase II inhibitor, exhibited the typical phenotype of conventional DCs (cDCs). The expression of DC activation markers was also increased after amsacrine treatment. The profile of cytokines produced by THP-1 cells treated with amsacrine was similar to that of mDCs. Conclusion: Amsacrine has an ex vivo capability of differentiating THP-1 monocytes into cDCs. As amsacrine has been used as a stable chemotherapeutic agent in humans, it can be useful for producing mDCs for cancer immunotherapy.