Interferon Inducers: Enhancement of Viral Oncogenesis in Mice and Rats

Abstract

Pretreatment with several interferon inducers enhanced virus-induced sarcomas and leukemias in mice and rats. Enhancement was dependent on multiple factors including the animal strain, age of mice, and time of treatment. The strain-dependent effects of poly I poly C could not be explained by differences in circulating interferon induction, the extent and duration of the hyporesponsive period to interferon induction, or in the induced antiviral state. Also, there was no correlation between the strain-dependent adjuvant properties of poly I poly C on humoral immunity and its effect on MSV tumor induction. Depending on the conditions, interferon inducers are capable of either enhancing or inhibiting viral oncogenesis.