The antitumor effects of interferon: a personal history.
Early experiments showed that administration of mouse interferon preparations inhibited the development of viral-induced or spontaneous viral associated leukemias in mice. Interferon alpha/beta was also shown to inhibit the growth of transplantable tumors of different origins in all strains of mice tested. The finding that interferon alpha/beta inhibited the growth of sublines of tumors selected for resistance to interferon alpha/beta indicated the role of interferon induced host mechanisms in the antitumor effects observed. The different host antitumor mechanisms and especially the interaction of interferon alpha/beta with the immune system have been briefly discussed. Injection of mice with a neutralizing antibody to interferon alpha/beta demonstrated the essential role of endogenous interferon alpha/beta in the defense of the mouse against the development of syngeneic, allogeneic and xenogeneic tumors.
Gresser
Ion
I
Unité Inserm 255, Centre de Recherches Biomédicales des Cordeliers, UPMC, 15 rue de l'Ecole de Médecine 75270 Paris, France. ion.gresser@club-internet.fr
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007372:Interferons / Q000378:metabolism*; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D016899:Interferon-beta; D007372:Interferons