GROWTH-INHIBITORY ACTIVITY OF RECOMBINANT HUMAN INTERFERON-BETA AGAINST CULTURED HUMAN-CELLS

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 74  (5) , 737-742
Abstract
The growth-inhibitory activity of recombinant human interferon-.beta. (ReIFN-.beta.) against cultured human cells was compared with that of natural human fibroblast interferon-.beta. (IFN-.beta.), and the influence of deficiency of carbohydrate on the anticellular activity was examined. The IC50 (concentration of drug required for 50% inhibition) of ReIFN-.beta. against 14 human cell lines was almost equivalent to that of IFN-.beta., when the cells were cultured for 7 days and ReIFN-.beta. or IFN-.beta. was added on day 0 and exchanged every day from day 1 to day 6. The most sensitive cells (ICE < 10 U/ml) were Daudi lymphoma cells and 3 melanoma cell lines, and the most insensitive cells (IC50 > 103 U/ml) were HeLa S3/IS cells (insensitive line) and CCRF-CEM leukemia cells. The other 8 cell lines were moderately sensitive to both interferons. As the intervals of exchange of ReIFN-.beta. or IFN-.beta. were extended, the growth-inhibitory activity of both interferons decreased. This phenomenon, which was more significant with ReIFN-.beta. than IFN-.beta., was explicable in terms of the stability of both interferons incubated in the culture medium at 37.degree.. The species specificity of IFN-.beta. was not mediated by carbohydrate since the growth-inhibitory activity of ReIFN-.beta. against 2 mouse cell lines was almost equivalent to that of IFN-.beta.. The anticellular activity of ReIFN-.beta. was not essentially affected by deficiency of carbohydrate.