PMID: 8968350Dec 1, 1996Paper

The role of interferon-gamma in antiretroviral activity of methionine enkephalin and AZT in a murine cell culture

The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
J I Sin, S Specter

Abstract

The ability of spleen cells treated with methionine enkephalin (Met-ENK) in the presence of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) to produce cytokines and inhibit Friend leukemia virus (FLV) replication in Mus dunni cell cultures was investigated. In the presence of murine spleen cells, combination treatments using AZT plus Met-ENK or concanavalin A reduced FLV replication by 63% and 84%, respectively, as compared with 47% for AZT alone. When interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4 and interferon (IFN gamma) levels were measured in FLV-infected cell cultures, both AZT and Met-ENK treatments induced a higher production of IFN gamma and a slight increase in IL-2 and IL-4, as compared with either treatment alone. Subsequent treatment of FLV-infected cells with concanavalin A-stimulated cell supernatants, containing approximately 10 U/ml each of IFN gamma and IL-2, resulted in inhibition of viral replication. Thus, in the absence of spleen cells, IFN gamma was added to cell cultures to determine whether this cytokine contributed to combination antiviral effects. Results show that addition of IFN gamma alone results in a slight suppression of FLV expression, whereas treatment with both AZT and IFN gamma inhibits FLV replication significantly. Subsequen...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Antivirals (ASM)

Antivirals are medications that are used specifically for treating viral infections. Discover the latest research on antivirals here.

Antivirals

Antivirals are medications that are used specifically for treating viral infections. Discover the latest research on antivirals here.