Native human interferon-α is a strong inductor of endogenous cytokines involved in the suppression of procollagen type I

Native human interferon-α (nHuIFN-α) has a stronger reductive effect on procollagen type I mRNA expression than recombinant human interferon-α (rHuIFN-α). It is partially due to the additive activity of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), which is present in small concentrations in nHuIFN-α. Here, we show that the reductive effect is also the result of the endogenous cytokines induced by the activity of nHuIFN-α. In the culture of MRC5 fibroblasts, we have further found that nHuIFN-α induces endogenous interferons in higher amounts than rHuIFN-α, measured with PCR. That is more pronounced when interferon-γ (IFN-γ) is measured. This result puts a new light on IFN-γ activity in the nHuIFN-α treatment because its role was neglected due to the loss of its activity during the nHuIFN-α preparation process. The findings lead to the conclusion that endogenous cytokines play a significant role in the nHuIFN-α -mediated reduction of procollagen type I mRNA and are therefore an important factor in potential therapeutic usage.