BIODEGRADABLE MICROSPHERES .15. INTERFERON-GAMMA IN STARCH MICROPARTICLES - NITRIC OXIDE-GENERATING ACTIVITY INVITRO AND ANTILEISHMANIAL EFFECT IN MICE

Recombinant mouse interferon-gamma (mu IFN-gamma) was covalently coupl ed to polyacryl starch microparticles, a lysosomotropic drug carrier. The microparticle-bound mu IFN-gamma was found to activate cultured ma crophages for nitrite production and had an anti-leishmanial effect in mice. Low doses of mu IFN-gamma, which had no effect in the free form , when bound to microparticles significantly reduced the load of Leish mania donovani in infected mice. Further, inducement of nitrite produc tion in cultured macrophages by microparticle-bound mu IFN-gamma requi red intact cell membrane receptors.