HUMAN INTERFERON ACTION - RECIPROCAL REGULATION BY RETINOIC ACID AND BETA-CAROTENE

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  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 70  (5) , 833-837
Abstract
The effects of retinol (vitamin A alcohol), retinoic acid (vitamin A acid) and .beta.-carotene (pro-vitamin A) on human interferon (HuIFN) action were examined in vitro. Retinoic acid and .beta.-carotene, at concentrations in or near the physiologic range, consistently behaved as oppositional signals in relation to HuIFN .alpha. and .beta.. Retinoic acid (and retinol) inhibited the stimulatory action of IFN on monocyte membrane function, and this inhibition was reversed by .beta.-carotene; .beta.-carotene alone modestly potentiated IFN in this system. For the inhibitory action of IFN on lymphoblastoid cell division, the converse was true. .beta.-Carotene inhibited the cytostatic action of IFN, and this inhibition was reversed by retinoic acid. Retinoic acid alone modestly potentiated IFN in this system. The observations suggest a regulatory mechanism whereby .beta.-carotene potentiates the stimulatory effects but inhibits the suppressive effects of HuIFN on host effector cells. Their significance is discussed with reference to the putative anticancer role of dietary .beta.-carotene.