title: Immunologic effects of interferon-alpha in man: treatment with human recombinant interferon-alpha suppresses in vitro immunoglobulin production in patients with chronic type B hepatitis.
abstract: The effect of human recombinant interferon-alpha on lymphocyte proliferation and differentiation was studied in 18 patients with chronic type B hepatitis who were participating in a randomized controlled trial of interferon-alpha therapy. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained by lymphopheresis before and during a 4 mo course of interferon. Pokeweed mitogen-induced immunoglobulin synthesis by PBMC obtained from patients before therapy was similar to that of PBMC from normal individuals. However, after 2 wk treatment with human recombinant interferon-alpha mitogen-induced immunoglobulin production was decreased by an average of 50%. Staining for cytoplasmic immunoglobulin revealed decreases that paralleled secreted immunoglobulin, indicating that interferon-alpha treatment inhibited immunoglobulin synthesis. Mixing autologous T and B cell enriched populations from before and during interferon treatment revealed that the decrease in immunoglobulin synthesis involved a defect in the B cell-enriched population. In contrast to immunoglobulin synthesis, pokeweed mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation was not significantly affected by in vivo administration of interferon-alpha. Thus a major effect of in vivo interferon-alpha on immunoregulation in patients with chronic type B hepatitis appears to be an inhibition of the late stages of B cell differentiation into immunoglobulin producing and secreting plasma cells.
mesh_terms: D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000235:genetics; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000166:cytology; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007370:Interferon Type I; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011994:Recombinant Proteins