Abstract
The properties of recombinant-DNA human leukocyte interferon (HuINFα2, Schering-Plough Corp) were studied in children with advanced acute leukemia (1 each of AML, T-cell ALL, and non-T-non-B ALL). When marrow blasts were exposed to IFN in vitro, there was a marked rise in cellular 2-5A synthetase comparable to control marrow, indicating full expression of IFN receptor sites on these cells as well as their ability to react metabolically. IFN also induced a striking dose-responsive decline in leukemic blast progenitor colony formation and on blast self-renewal in vitro, confirming its antiproliferative effect. When the patients were given high-dose IFN alone (up to 100 × 106 u/m2 I.V.), blast cytoreduction was seen in peripheral blood in all, and in marrow of the AML. Also after IFN was given, marrow and peripheral blood cells demonstrated elevated 2-5A synthetase activity in vivo, similar to the effect seen in vitro. No modulation of leukemic cell markers was seen following in vitro or in vivo treatment with IFN, implying that cytoreduction was not linked to blast differentiation. These studies suggest that this subtype of gene-cloned IFN has antileukemic properties, and indicates the possibilities for IFN as an adjunctive form of therapy in childhood leukemia.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Freedman, M., Williams, B. & Geltana, E. ANTIPROLIFERATIVE PROPERTIES OF GENE-CLONED ALPHA INTERFERON IN ACUTE LEUKEMIA. Pediatr Res 18 (Suppl 4), 240 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00882
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00882