Table 1.

Experimental strategies used in BCG research in bladder cancer. Use of different strategies using the orthotopic syngeneic (MB49 cells) murine model of bladder and their outcomes. BCG regimen is initiated 1–2 days after tumor induction in all the studies.

BCG strain	BCG regimen	Strategy	Outcome
BCG Pasteur grown on Middlebrock 7H9	107 CFU/dose 5 weekly instilations	T cell depletion using intraperitoneal injections of anti-CD4 or anti-CD8 antibodies	Depletion of either CD4 or CD8 T cells completely abrogates the effect of BCG [30]
Commercially available BCG Pasteur strain (Armand Frappier, Quebec)	107 CFU/dose 1 instillation	Monoclonal antibodies to thy 1.2, CD8, CD4 injected intravenously to deplete T cell populations	Requirement for T lymphocytes in BCG-mediated antitumor activity. Both CD4 and CD8 subsets are required for BCG efficacy [120]
Commercially available BCG Connaught strain (Immucyst, Nippon kayaku, Tokyo, Japan)	3 × 106 CFU/dose 4 weekly instillations	IL-17 KO mice and γᵟ T-cell-deficient mice	BCG was ineffective in IL-17 KO mice and γᵟ T-cell-deficient mice [37]
Commercially available BCG Connaught, strain (Aventis Pasteur, Canada) in 1 ml of solvent according to the manufacturer’s recommendation	Minimum 6 × 106 CFU/dose 4 weekly instillations	NK-deficient beige mice and mice treated with anti-NK1.1 monoclonal antibody	Reduced efficacy of BCG on depletion of NK cells and in NK cell deficient mice [121]
Commercially available BCG Connaught strain (Aventis Pasteur Ltd, Toronto, Canada) in 09% sodium chloride	3 × 106 CFU/dose 4 weekly instillations	IFN-γ knockout (KO), IL-12 KO and IL- 10 KO mice	BCG treatment was completely ineffective in IFN-c KO and IL-12 KO mice BCG treatment was highly effective in IL-10 KO mice [122]
BCG, Connaught substrain, Cytochemia, Ihringen, Germany) at logarithmic growth phase.	3 × 106 CFU/dose 4 weekly instillations	Anti-Gr1 antibody	BCG treatment was rendered ineffective on depletion of polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes [32]