Role of Exogenous Interferons on Intrinsic Antiviral Activity of Macrophages from Patients Affected by Neoplasia

Summary

Macrophages derived from in vitro cultured monocytes were infected with herpes simplex virus type 2. A marked impairment in the intrinsic antiviral activity was found in macrophages obtained from patients with breast cancer or melanoma. Moreover, the antiviral activity of macrophages from healthy donors, differentiated in serum from patients with neoplasia, was also impaired. The aim of this work was the evaluation of α, β, γ exogenous interferon in restoring the intrinsic antiviral activity of macrophages from patients affected by breast cancer or melanoma under different conditions. Pretreatment of macrophages with α, β interferons, but not γ interferon, restored their impaired intrinsic antiviral activity.

Key Words:

• macrophage
• neoplasia
• HSV-2
• interferons