Biomedical subjects

W R Fleischmann

Publications and source records attributed to W R Fleischmann.

76 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Control of the interferon system: an inhibitor of interferon action.

An inhibitor of interferon action has been identified which is present in IFN-gamma preparations. The inhibitor is produced following rising interferon concentrations in mitogen stimulated mouse spleen cell cultures. Indications are that the inhibitor is produced in response to the production of interferon, and may therefore be a feedback control mechanism for the interferon system. The action of the inhibitor is independent of both interferon type and concentration, and seems to act by preventing the establishment of the interferon-induced antiviral state at some point following the interaction of the interferon molecule with the cell membrane. The inhibitor has an apparent molecular weight of 8,000 to 10,000 daltons and is stable to treatment with low pH, heat, and trypsin. It is proposed that the inhibitor has the specific role in vivo of controlling interferon-mediated activities.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Enhancement of MuIFN-gamma antitumor effects by hyperthermia: sequence dependence and time dependence of hyperthermia.

Heat-induced total body hyperthermia has been shown to synergistically enhance the in vivo antitumor effects of MuIFN-gamma directed against B16 melanoma in mice. This observation was made with an 8-hour exposure to hyperthermia that was administered following MuIFN-gamma treatment. It was not known whether this was the most efficacious treatment protocol. Various treatment protocols exploring MuIFN-gamma treatment at different relative times of exposure to hyperthermia and involving different durations of hyperthermia were evaluated. In a 5-day course of therapy, B16 tumor-bearing mice were injected with MuIFN-gamma or mock interferon and incubated in a dry incubator (resulting in a 2 degrees C rise in body temperature). The antitumor efficacy of MuIFN-gamma administered before, in the middle of, or following 8 hours of hyperthermia was evaluated. The antitumor effects of MuIFN-gamma were synergistically enhanced when the MuIFN-gamma was administered before 8 hours of hyperthermia (3.9-fold greater increased life span than with MuIFN-gamma treatment alone). However, when MuIFN-gamma was administered in the middle or following hyperthermia, the life spans were essentially the same as for MuIFN-gamma treatment alone, indicating that the effect of the hyperthermia exposures according to these treatment protocols were less than additive. Administration of MuIFN-gamma before hyperthermia exposures of 2 hours, 5 hours, and 8 hours showed antagonistic, additive, and synergistic interactions of the MuIFN-gamma treatment and hyperthermia exposure, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prevention of resistance to IFN-alpha antiproliferative activity: characterization of the effect of IFN-gamma and substitution for IFN-gamma by tumor necrosis factor.

Non-genetic resistance to the antiproliferative effects of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) develops in murine and human melanoma cells within 2-4 days of exposure of the cells to IFN-alpha. Simultaneous treatment of murine B16 melanoma cells with MuIFN-gamma and MuIFN-alpha prevents the development of resistance. In this study, the ability of MuIFN-gamma pretreatment to prevent the development of resistance was assessed for varying concentrations of MuIFN-gamma and for varying lengths of time of pretreatment. Pretreatment of the cells for 48 h with MuIFN-gamma using concentrations as low as 5 U/ml prevents the subsequent development of resistance when the cells are cloned in the presence of MuIFN-alpha. Higher concentrations of MuIFN-gamma are more effective in preventing the development of resistance. In addition, short MuIFN-gamma pretreatment times, such as 2-4 h, appeared to be most effective in preventing the development of resistance. In order to determine the mechanism for this biological effect, various second messenger perturbing chemical agents and several other biological agents were screened for ability to prevent the development of resistance. Neither interleukin-2 (IL-2), epidermal growth factor (EGF), nor any of the chemical agents examined could prevent the development of resistance, nor did they alter the ability of MuIFN-gamma to prevent the development of resistance. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), however, was able to substitute for MuIFN-gamma in preventing the development of resistance, using concentrations of 125 ng/ml and higher.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Enhanced in vitro macrophage cytotoxicity against interferon-treated B16 melanoma cells.

Resistance to the in vitro antiproliferative effects of INF-alpha rapidly develops in mouse B16 melanoma cells that are maintained in vitro in IFN-alpha (B16 alpha res cells). B16 alpha res cells, however, are significantly more sensitive to the antitumor effects of IFN-alpha when they are injected into mice. This enhanced sensitivity appears to be due, at least in part, to activated macrophages. To investigate enhanced macrophage sensitivity of B16 alpha res cells, macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity assays have been performed using both B16 and B16 alpha res cell targets. Thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal macrophages activated in vitro with IFN-gamma exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity against both B16 and B16 alpha res cells, but significantly higher levels of cytotoxicity occurred with B16 alpha res targets. Kinetics experiment results showed that the cytolytic effects against B16 alpha res cells occurred at a very much faster rate than the cytolytic effects against B16 cells (50% cytotoxicity with 2 h of incubation versus 40% cytotoxicity by 24 h, respectively). Finally, peritoneal macrophages from B16-inoculated mice also were significantly more cytotoxic against B16 alpha res cells than against B16 cells. Macrophages from B16 alpha res-inoculated mice were significantly more cytotoxic against B16 alpha res cells than were macrophages from B16-inoculated mice. Taken together, these observations provide in vitro evidence to support the suggestion that peritoneal macrophages are important mediators of the enhanced host-mediated antitumor effects against B16 alpha res cells.

Animals↗