Ts. Kim et al., Induction of in vivo persistent anti-mycobacterial activity by interferon-gamma-secreting fibroblasts, VACCINE, 18(11-12), 2000, pp. 1067-1073
To determine whether the paracrine secretion of interferon-gamma (TFN-gamma
) can efficiently stimulate the resistance to Mycobacterium avium complex (
MAC) infection, 3T3 fibroblasts were stably transduced to secrete IFN-gamma
(500 units/10(6) cells/48 h) and their effects an MAC infection were inves
tigated in genetically susceptible BALB/c mice, compared with that of free
recombinant IFN-gamma (rIFN-gamma), Immunization with IFN-gamma-secreting f
ibroblasts (3T3-IFN-gamma) during intranasal infection with MAC resulted in
a significant decrease in bacterial load of lung during the entire 8-week
observation period, while rIFN-gamma reduced the bacterial load at initial
1 week but not by 8 weeks postinfection. Furthermore, immunization with the
3T3-IFN-gamma cells induced and maintained significantly higher levels of
cytotoxic activity and nitric oxide production by lung cells than those of
rIFN-gamma immunization. This work suggest that IFN-gamma-secreting fibrobl
asts may serve as a vehicle for paracrine secretion of IFN-gamma in immunot
herapy of MAC infection. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
.