Title:Antitumor Effects of Interferon-Alpha on Cell Growth and Metastasis in Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Volume: 12
Issue: 5
Author(s): X. Liu, J. Lu, M.-L. He, Z. Li, B. Zhang, L.-H. Zhou, Q. Li, G. Li, L. Wang, W.-D. Tian, Y. Peng and X.-P. Li
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Cell growth, cytokine, immunotherapy, interferon-α1b, metastasis, nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Abstract: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a highly malignant and frequently metastasized tumor, and the prognosis
is very poor when distant metastases occur. Recently, immunotherapy is becoming a promising therapeutic approach.
Interferon-α (IFN-α) represents the cytokines exhibiting the longest record of use in clinical oncology. In this study, we
examined the antitumor effects of IFN-α1b on NPC. The results showed that recombinant human IFN-α1b (hIFN-α1b)
suppressed cell growth, induced a G1-phase cell cycle arrest in vitro, increased the expression of p16 and pRb, and
decreased the expression of CCND1 and CDK6. In vivo analyses showed that either recombinant adeno-associated virus
(rAAV)-IFN-α1b or hIFN-α1b treatment inhibited tumor growth and metastasis, reduced intratumoral microvessel
density, increased cell apoptosis and necrosis, and induced prolonged survival. Notably, rAAV-IFN-α1b or hIFN-α1b
treatment led to significantly higher serum levels of IL-12 and GM-CSF in mice compared to respective controls. Our
findings suggest that IFN-α1b acts as a multifunctional antitumor agent in NPC, which may have important therapeutic
implications.
