Abstract
The skin reactions to partially-purified fibroblast-derived (HulFN-β) and leucocyte-derived (HulFN- α) interferons and to HulFN- α of increasing purity were studied in normal volunteers. Reactions consisted of an immediate flare followed by a dense well-circumscribed erythema maximal at 4–8 hours. HulFN-β caused significantly larger reactions than HulFN- α of approximately the same purity. Immediate flare reactions occurred even to the most pure preparation tested but the late reactions were significantly reduced. Experiments suggested that the early reactions to impure HulFN- α were in part mediated by local histamine release and late reactions in part by local prostaglandin synthesis. This suggests that interferon itself may not be the cause of general symptoms during a virus illness.
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