Human interferon production in tonsil and adenoid tissue cultures.

Using Sendai virus as an inducer, tonsil lymphocytes produce alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) 1,000 times more potent than that reportedly induced using Newcastle disease virus in such lymphoid tissue. Alpha and gamma interferons can be produced from tonsil and adenoid lymphocyte cultures in amounts comparable with those produced from cultures of pooled peripheral blood lymphocytes. Lymphocytes from both tonsils and adenoids are equal in the amount of IFN each produces. The IFN-producing potential of lymphocytes appears constant in humans between the ages of 3 and 38 years and is not adversely affected during the first trimester of pregnancy. Since approximately one billion lymphocytes are obtained from each of these tissues, they represent a potential source of significant quantities of IFN for investigational use.