Five normally cycling healthy women were given daily
subcutaneous injections of human
leukocyte interferon (3 X 10(6) units/day) from the 3rd through 23rd day of the menstrual cycle, and serum
steroid and
peptide hormone concentrations monitored at 3-day intervals during the treatment and the preceding control cycle. Concentrations of cytosol and nuclear
estrogen receptors (ERC and ERN, respectively) and
progestin receptors (PRC and PRN) were also measured from endometrial biopsies taken on the 24th day of the control and treatment cycle. In addition, an extensive monitoring of clinical chemical and hematological tests from the blood samples were performed. Serum
estradiol and
progesterone concentrations were significantly decreased during the treatment cycle, suggesting that
interferon interacts in vivo with the function of both FSH and LH. No significant changes were observed in the serum
peptide hormone concentrations measured (FSH, LH,
prolactin,
insulin,
growth hormone and TSH); neither were the levels of endometrial ERC, ERN, PRC and PRN affected by
interferon administration. As expected,
interferon administration resulted in decreased leukocyte counts. Moreover, an increasing tendency in the activities of serum
alkaline phosphatase and
gamma-glutamyltransferase during the
interferon therapy shows that
interferon may slightly interfere with the liver function. These results suggest that one of the mechanisms by which
interferon treatment may affect the growth of
hormone-dependent neoplasms could be the interaction with production and/or function of circulating hormonal compounds.