title: Antitumor effects of interferon-alpha on cell growth and metastasis in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
abstract: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a highly malignant and frequently metastasized tumor, and the prognosis is very poor when distant metastases occur. Recently, immunotherapy is becoming a promising therapeutic approach. Interferon-α (IFN-α) represents the cytokines exhibiting the longest record of use in clinical oncology. In this study, we examined the antitumor effects of IFN-α1b on NPC. The results showed that recombinant human IFN-α1b (hIFN-α1b) suppressed cell growth, induced a G1-phase cell cycle arrest in vitro, increased the expression of p16 and pRb, and decreased the expression of CCND1 and CDK6. In vivo analyses showed that either recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV)-IFN-α1b or hIFN-α1b treatment inhibited tumor growth and metastasis, reduced intratumoral microvessel density, increased cell apoptosis and necrosis, and induced prolonged survival. Notably, rAAV-IFN-α1b or hIFN-α1b treatment led to significantly higher serum levels of IL-12 and GM-CSF in mice compared to respective controls. Our findings suggest that IFN-α1b acts as a multifunctional antitumor agent in NPC, which may have important therapeutic implications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: M-L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: L-H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: W-D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: X-P
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D002277:Carcinoma; D059447:Cell Cycle Checkpoints / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D019938:Cyclin D1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051361:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 6 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016193:G1 Phase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009336:Necrosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C530104:CCND1 protein, human; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein; D019938:Cyclin D1; D018664:Interleukin-12; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; C495911:CDK6 protein, human; D051361:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 6