Synergistic effect of \'Y-interferon and chemotherapeutic drugs on KE-37

Therapeutic use of biological response modulators in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs may propose a more efficient way for cancer therapy with fewer side effects. However, the related mechanism has not been well understood. Γ-interferon is a modulator of biological responses that inhibits the growth of malignant cells and mediates their differentiation. In this investigation, T cell lymphoblastic leukemia-derived cell line (KE-37) was used for studying the synergistic effect of interferon and chemotherapeutic agents. For this purpose, this cell line was grown in tissue culture flasks and transferred to 96 well plates. Various doses of vincristine, methylprednisolone and dounorubicin were added to culture medium and the cells were grown at 370 °C incubator with 5% CO2. Then, 100 IU/ml of γ -interferon was added to cell culture at different times (at hours 0, 8, 36, and 60). The synergistic effect of γ-interferon and above-mentioned drugs was measured through MTT assay. Our results suggest that y-interferon could significantly increase the cytotoxic and/or cytostatic effects of vincristine, methylprednisolone, and tiounorubicin (p<0.05). In addition, this synergistic effect was more significant when γ-interferon was added 36 and 60 hours after addition of drugs (p<0.05).