Decrease in the phagocytic activity of peripheral monocytes in patients treated with human interferon-?

Abstract

The influence of daily intramuscular injections of 3×10⁶ units of interferon-α (IFN-α) on the phagocytic activity of peripheral monocytes was studied in 28 tumor patients. One day after initiation of IFN therapy no major change in the capacity of monocytes to ingest yeast particles was observed. After 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months of treatment, monocyte phagocytosis had decreased in the majority of the patients tested. In patients where natural killer (NK) cell activity was measured simultaneously with monocyte phagocytosis, a correlation between the degree of enhancement of NK activity and the degree of decrease in monocyte phagocytosis was observed.