Abstract
IFN is now widely used in clinical trials as antiviral and anticancer drug. Patients receiving IFN for treatment of malignant diseases are often treated for long time periods. One of the diseases in which beneficial effects of IFN-beta therapy have been reported is the nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
When studying the effects of long term IFN-beta treatment in patients with NPC we detected neutralizing antibodies of IgG type in the sera of three (out of three) patients treated for more than 5 months with a partially purified IFN-beta preparation. The antibodies neutralized only IFN beta and did not react with IFN-alpha or IFN-gamma. However, the antibodies not only neutralized the IFN beta present in the preparation used for therapy but also native (crude) and recombinant IFN-beta. Furthermore, the antibodies completely abolished the antiviral as well as the antiproliferative and the NK-boosting capacity of IFN-beta.
Our data indicate that during long term IFN-beta therapy antibodies may develop which neutralize the antiviral and the putative antitumor activities of exogenous IFN-beta but which, in addition, may also interfere with endogenous IFN production.
The results stress the importance of regular screening for neutralizing antibodies in the sera of patients on interferon therapy beyond the fifth months.
This work was supported by the Stiftung Volkswagenwerk and the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie.
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Eife, R., Mertens, R., Holtmann, H. et al. DEVELOPMENT OF ANTI-INTERFERON (IFN) ANTIBODIES AFTER LONG–TERM THERAPY WITH IFN-BETA. Pediatr Res 19, 1079 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198510000-00068
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198510000-00068
