title: Interferon-alpha/beta in virus-induced mouse mammary carcinogenesis: effects on the spontaneous process and on the progression of transplanted pre-neoplastic lesions.
abstract: Low levels of anti-viral activity, mainly interferon alpha/beta (IFN-alpha/beta), are regularly found in lymphoid tissues of BALB/c mice infected with the C3H strain of mammary tumor virus. At the time of tumor development, significant amounts of anti-viral activity were detected in homogenates of spleen and mammary tumors, but not in blood and normal mammary glands. This activity is pH2-resistant and neutralized by antibody to IFN/alpha-beta. The pathogenetic role of IFN in mammary carcinogenesis was investigated in 2 ways: (a) by treating virus-infected newborn mice with antibody to IFN-alpha/beta, and (b) by giving either the latter antibody or IFN-alpha/beta to virus-free animals transplanted with pre-neoplastic lesions. Mice were treated only for 2 months, starting either 1 week after birth or immediately after tumor transplant. In case (a), treatment with antibody to IFN-alpha/beta shortened the incubation period of mammary carcinomas and decreased the mean survival time. In case (b), anti-IFN antibody did not significantly affect the development of mammary tumors. However, exogenous IFN-alpha/beta markedly reduced both tumor incidence and mortality rate. These results indicate that endogenous IFN-alpha/beta plays a crucial role in the in vivo restriction of the early infectious phase of spontaneous carcinogenesis and that relatively high doses of IFN-alpha/beta may inhibit the progression of pre-neoplastic lesions.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathological Anatomy, University of Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Basolo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fontanini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dolei
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Proietti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Belardelli
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Conaldi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bistocchi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Squartini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toniolo
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008324:Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007370:Interferon Type I