肝细胞癌（HCC）是导致癌症相关死亡的一种常见原因，并对传统治疗不敏感。DC-TEX和程序性死亡蛋白1（PD-1）抗体（Ab）的联合抗肿瘤效果在不同时间间隔内尚未进行研究。本研究建立了HCC模型，并以不同时间间隔使用DC-TEX单独或与PD-1 Ab联合治疗。此外，我们在BALB/c裸鼠中建立了原位HCC模型并恢复了T细胞。结果表明，在DC-TEX治疗后，PD-1+CD8+T细胞人群数量显著增加，CD8+T细胞数量的增加也是如此。在DC-TEX给药后的72小时内，CD8+T细胞数量增加。PD-1+CD8+T细胞的表现也是如此。随后，在不同时间点（0、24、72、96、120或168小时）输注PD-1 Ab与DC-TEX的联合治疗。令人惊讶的是，该联合治疗展示了强大的抗肿瘤效果，尤其是在72小时给予PD-1 Ab时更为明显。PD-1 Ab显著逆转了体外PD-1+CD8+T细胞的增殖能力，在72小时时通过刺激CD8+T细胞增殖和抑制T细胞耗竭实现了PD-1 Ab和DC-TEX的联合抗肿瘤效果。总之，我们的结果表明，DC-TEX和PD-1 Ab的联合显著抑制了小鼠HCC模型中的肿瘤生长，并且PD-1 Ab的给药时间影响着其抗肿瘤效果。© 2023. 作者，Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany的独家许可，Springer Nature的一部分。

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a prevalent cause of cancer-related deaths, is insensitive to traditional treatments. At different time intervals, the combined antitumor effects of DC-TEX and the programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody (Ab) have not been investigated. In this study, HCC models were established and treated at different time intervals with DC-TEX alone or in combination with PD-1 Ab. In addition, we developed an orthotopic HCC model in BALB/c nude mice and restored T cells. Results demonstrated that the PD-1 + CD8 + T-cell population also increased significantly after DC-TEX treatment, in addition to the increased number of CD8 + T cells. The number of CD8 + T cells increased 72 h after DC-TEX administration. Similar observations were made for PD-1 + CD8 + T cells. Subsequently, PD-1 Ab was administered in combination with DC-TEX at different time points (0, 24, 72, 96, 120, or 168 h). Surprisingly, the combination treatment demonstrated a strong antitumor effect, which was very prominent when PD-1 Ab was administered at 72 h. PD-1 Ab significantly reversed the proliferative ability of PD-1 + CD8 + T cells at 72 h in vitro. The combined antitumor effects of PD-1 Ab and DC-TEX occurred mainly by stimulating CD8 + T cell proliferation and inhibiting T cell exhaustion. In conclusion, our results indicate that the combination of DC-TEX and PD-1 Ab significantly inhibits tumor growth in a murine HCC model and that the timing of PD-1 Ab administration impacts the antitumor effect.© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.