Influence of interferon-alpha on cytokine expression by the bone marrow microenvironment--impact on treatment of myeloproliferative disorders.

Myeloproliferative disorders (MPD) are characterized by several common clinical and biological features, although at the molecular level, each disease entity exhibits distinct abnormalities. IFN-alpha exerts beneficial therapeutic effects in chronic myelogenous leukemia, polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia, resulting in control of hematopoietic hyperplasia and, in a minority of patients, in induction of cytogenetic remission. The mechanism of action of IFN-alpha in MPD is poorly defined. Recently published in vitro findings suggest that IFN-alpha interacts with the regulation of hematopoiesis by multiple ways. Its antiproliferative activity is well known for more than a decade, however, substantial growth inhibition is achieved only at relatively high concentrations. Defective adhesion of hematopoietic progenitor cells in CML to bone marrow stromal cells is corrected by IFN-alpha, which might expose CML progenitors to inhibitory cytokines produced by the bone marrow microenvironment. Recent work from our group demonstrated, that IFN-alpha potently interacts with the production of hematopoietic cytokines in bone marrow stromal cells. Expression of stimulatory cytokines, such as GM-CSF, G-CSF, IL-1 and IL-11 is inhibited by IFN-ct, whereas the production of negative regulators, such as IL-1RA and MIP-1 alpha, is stimulated. The combined action of IFN-alpha on paracrine expression of cytokines suggests an indirect antihematopoietic effect, which might contribute to its clinical activity in MPD.