Abstract |
Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is very effective in patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL), although its mechanism of action is still unknown. To investigate this issue, we studied the in vitro response to IFN-alpha of a variant type of HCL, recently reported by us as the Japanese variant. Their clinical response to IFN-alpha (remission rate 35.7% in the multicenter study in Japan) was inferior to that of typical HCL (remission rate 80%; mean of previous reports). We found that both low molecular weight B-cell growth factor (L-BCGF) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha ( TNF-alpha) induced the proliferation of HC from patients with the Japanese variant, as well as those with typical HCL. While, in typical HCL, IFN-alpha strongly inhibited the in vitro proliferation of HC induced by L-BCGF and TNF-alpha, the inhibitory effect of IFN-alpha on L-BCGF and TNF-alpha-induced proliferation was low in most Japanese variant patients. These in vitro findings may be related to the extent of clinical efficacy of IFN-alpha in the Japanese variant, obtained in the multicenter study. Since the degree of inhibition was parallel in L-BCGF- and TNF-alpha-induced proliferation in three patients examined simultaneously, it appeared that the antiproliferative effect of IFN-alpha is not specific to individual growth factors. Rather, IFN-alpha might affect fundamental growth mechanisms triggered by these factors.
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Authors | Y Tokumine, T Machii, R Inoue, H Shibayama, Y Nishimori, Y Nakamura, J Nojima, S Tagawa, T Kitani |
Journal | Leukemia
(Leukemia)
Vol. 9
Issue 1
Pg. 25-9
(Jan 1995)
ISSN: 0887-6924 [Print] England |
PMID | 7845025
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
- Interferon-alpha
- Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
- Interleukin-4
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Topics |
- Cell Division
(drug effects)
- Humans
- Interferon-alpha
(pharmacology, therapeutic use)
- Interleukin-4
(pharmacology)
- Leukemia, Hairy Cell
(pathology, therapy)
- Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
(pharmacology)
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