We have examined the potential of a novel cytokine, interleukin-27 (IL-27), for gene therapy of prostate cancer. IL-27 is the most recently characterized member of the family of heterodimeric IL-12-related cytokines and has shown promise in halting tumor growth and mediating tumor regression in several cancer models. In the present study, we examined the efficacy of a new mode of gene delivery to prostate tumors: low-frequency ultrasound irradiation or “sonoporation.” We also examined the potential of IL-27 gene delivery by sonoporation to treat and reduce the growth of prostate cancer in vivo. We used three models of immune-competent prostate adenocarcinoma and characterized the tumor-growth reduction, gene-profile expression, and effector cellular profiles. Our results suggest that IL-27 can be effective in reducing tumor growth and can help enhance accumulation of effector cells in prostate tumors in vivo. These results are promising, because they are potentially relevant to developing novel therapies that can be translated by using the novel and effective sonoporation gene-therapy delivery strategy.
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