PRODUCTION OF HUMAN ALPHA-INTERFERON AND GAMMA-INTERFERON IS DEPENDENT ON AGE AND SEX AND IS DECREASED IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS - A SIMPLE METHOD FOR A LARGE-SCALE ASSAY

We examined host ability to produce alpha- and gamma-interferon on a large scale by culturing 2 ml of peripheral blood for 20 hr with Sendai virus or concanavalin A as inducer of alpha- or gamma-interferon, respectively. Production of gamma- but not alpha-interferon was lower in females (n = 351) than in males (n = 531) (P < 0.001). Both alpha- and gamma-interferon production declined gradually with ageing. The production of alpha-interferon (3,233 +/- 1,773 IU/ml) and gamma-interferon 19 +/- 20 IU/ml) in rheumatoid arthritis patients was significantly lower than the values found in total and age-matched healthy donors (P < 0.01). These results suggest that interferon production is dependent on age and sex and is significantly lower in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.