ROLE OF IFN-GAMMA ON TNF-ALPHA, IL-1-BETA AND IL-6 RELEASE DURING HHV-6 INFECTION

The release of monokines such as Tumor Necrosis Factor a (TNF alpha), Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) by activated m onocytes/macrophages is an important step in the immune as well as in the inflammatory response. In this study the production of TNF alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-6 by human monocytes (HM) and peripheral blood mononu clear cells (PBMC) was evaluated after HHV-6 infection. Our results de monstrate that HHV-6 can selectively regulate monokine synthesis, in a time-dependent manner. Moreover, we observed a different response clo sely related to the cellular population (HM or PBMC) examined. The hyp othesis we evaluated was that IFN gamma is an important factor trigger ing the activation of HHV-6 infected human monocytes, to release monok ines.