Interferon enhances the excitability of cultured neurones

Abstract

INTERFERON has varied biological effects on cells^1,2 and induces modifications of the cell surface both in vitro^3–6 and in vivo⁷. The particular capacity of the neuronal membrane to generate propagated action potentials (well retained in culture⁸) makes neurones excellent material for the study of substances that affect the cell surface. We have therefore determined the effect of interferon on the electrical activity of nerve cells. Most of the experiments reported here were carried out on the cat cerebral and cerebellar cortex, because the electrical patterns of these structures have been well defined in vitro^8,9. Furthermore, as human leukocyte interferon exhibits a high degree of antiviral activity on cat cells¹⁰, we were able to study the effect of highly purified interferon preparations on the spontaneous and evoked electrical activity of these neurones. In other experiments, we studied the effect of rat interferon on rat neurones in culture. Our results, which show that human and rat interferon specifically enhance the excitability of cat and rat nerve cells, respectively, may have implications for the therapeutic use of interferon as well as for the understanding of some of the manifestations of viral diseases.