Increased hematopoietic toxicity following administration of interferon-å with combination dideoxynucleoside therapy (zidovudine plus DDI) administered in normal mice

Clinical use of quantitative molecular methods in studying human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection.

“…A possible strategy to overcome this problem is to administer combinations of antiviral agents that target different virusspecific proteins or functions; the rationale for combining anti-HIV-1 agents is to provide more efficient viral suppression by means of the synergistic effects of several promising anti-HIV-1 compounds (61,68,98) and to limit the emergence of drug resistance during prolonged drug administration (76). However, careful attention should be devoted to the possible increased toxicity of combination therapy (59). Clearly, the opportunity of treating HIV-1-infected individuals by complex pharmacological strategies calls for unequivocal means to monitor the efficacy of the compounds in vivo, emphasizing the potential impact of quantitative molecular methods in clinical virology.…”

Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) as a potential radio- and chemo-protectant

“…While the effects of IFN-␥ and chemotherapy on the long-term repopulating abilities of hematopoietic stem cells have not been studied previously, hematologic toxicity is a recognized side-effect of many of the regimens utilizing interferons with other anti-tumor agents [7,10,39]. Gallichio and his associates reported increased hematopoietic toxicity with combined IFN-␥ and dideoxynucleoside therapy, utilizing in vitro assays [40], although parallel experience has not been noted for IFN-␥ with chemotherapy. The ability of interferons to potentiate the toxicity of irradiation in cell lines or tumor tissue is well known [13,14] but again the hematopoietic system has not been studied.…”