INTERFERON-ALPHA OR INTERFERON-BETA POTENTIATE PLATINUM ANALOGOUS IN HUMAN GLIOBLASTOMA CELL-LINES

The effect of interferon-alpha or beta on platinum analogues [cisplati n (CDDP) and carboplatin] cytotoxicity was studied in four glioblastom a cell lines (U373MG, T98G, A172 and U118Mg). All cell lines were stro ngly resistant to the cytotoxic effect of CDDP or carboplatin. Althoug h both interferons were not cytotoxic in all cell lines, they were abl e to significantly increase the cell platinum-sensitivity. Specificall y interferon-a increased the magnitude of CDDP-induced DNA interstrand crosslinks. Our findings suggest that interferons are able to induce a very strong potentiation of platinum analogues cytotoxicity in drug- resistant human glioma cell lines.