Abstract: Objective To investigate the potent anti-tumor activity of induced dendritic cells（DC）derived from the peripheral blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma（HCC），and to lay the foundation for a DC vaccine against HCC. Methods DC were isolated from the peripheral blood of HCC patients and healthy individuals and induced in vitro using rhGM-CSF，rhIL-4 and HCC antigen. The morphology of DC was observed by phase contrast microscopy， and surface molecule expression was analyzed by fluorescence activated cell sorting.IL-12 released by DC into the culture medium was detected by ELISA.T cell proliferation was quantitated by ³H-TdR uptake，and cytotoxic of T-lymphocyte（CTL）activity was assessed using the LDH release assay. Results Comparison of induced DC from HCC patients and induced DC from healthy individuals revealed no significant differences in growth characteristics；expression levels of surface molecules such as HLA-DR，CD1a，CD83，CD80，CD86，ICAM-1，and IL-12；and ability to stimulate T lymphocytes and induce CTL activity（P>0.05）. Conclusions Induced DC from HCC patients can exert anti-tumor effects similar to those observed with induced DC from healthy individuals.These results provide an experimental basis for developing HCC immunotherapies involving DC.

Key words: Liver neoplasms, Dendritic cell, Induction, Anti-tumor effect