INTERFERON-PRODUCTION IN WHOLE-BLOOD CULTURES FROM VOLUNTEERS AND RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS PATIENTS AFTER MEDICATION WITH ORAL ENZYMES

After oral administration of a combination of hydrolytic enzymes (Wobe nzym(R)) the leukocyte system of healthy subjects and patients with rh eumatoid arthritis (RA) responds to ConA and NDV in vitro through a di fferent pattern of IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha production, respectively in healthy subjects, after Wobenzym(R) medication the IFN-gamma as well as the IFN-alpha producing ability was increased. This cell system was not able to release a detectable level of IFN-gamma spontaneously and trypsin itself had no IFN-inducing ability. RA patients with defi cie nt producing ability of leukocytes to ConA failed to be restored in IF N producing capacity by the enzyme preparation and were even more decr eased in the production of IFN-gamma after enzyme treatment. Wobenzym( R) treatment of healthy volunteers reduced TGF-beta 1 concentration in their plasma. in contrast to these results, whole blood cells of thes e volunteers produced TGF-beta 1 spontaneously.