EFFECTS OF BACILLUS OF CALMETTE-GUERIN, CANDIDA-ALBICANS AND HUMAN RECOMBINANT INTERFERON-GAMMA ON RNA-METABOLISM AND ON IN-VITRO RELEASE OF TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR-ALPHA BY HUMAN MONOCYTES MACROPHAGES

Bacillus of Calmette-Guerin (BCG) was found to be effective in the the rapy of superficial bladder cancer, although the mechanisms by which t his occurs have not yet been clarified. One hypothesis is related to t he ability of monocytes/macrophages (MN/Mphi) to release tumor necrosi s factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a monokine with cytotoxic and cytostatic e ffects against certain tumor cell lines. The present study demonstrate s that BCG and C. albicans are both very efficient inducers of TNF-alp ha, while they inhibit uridine uptake and incorporation into human MN/ Mphi RNA. However, unlike C. albicans, BCG is cytotoxic for MN/Mphi, a s determined by release of labelled leucine from target cells.