Inhibition of proliferation of lines derived from human cervical carcinomas by cytotoxic drugs and by recombinant interferons.

The authors studied the effects of recombinant interferons (IFN), doxorubicin, and cisplatin against three cell lines derived from human epidermoid cervical carcinomas. These lines were SW 756, containing the genome of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 18, and CaSki and SiHa, containing HPV type 16. IFN-gamma suppressed the growth of all three lines, with a plateau in inhibitory effect beyond a concentration of 1000 units/ml. IFN-alpha was effective in this regard only against SW 756. In this line, the two IFNs together inhibited cell replication to a greater extent than the maximal effect of either IFN alone. Doxorubicin exerted a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect against all the lines, while cisplatin exhibited cytotoxicity only against SW 756. Doxorubicin and IFN-gamma, when used together, acted synergistically against CaSki and SiHa, and in an additive manner against SW 756.