title: Interleukin-12: potential clinical applications in the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis.
abstract: Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric cytokine that promotes cell-mediated immunity by facilitating type 1 helper T-lymphocyte responses, inducing the secretion of interferon-gamma from both T and natural killer cells, enhancing the lytic activity of natural killer cells, and augmenting specific cytolytic T-lymphocyte responses. In addition, IL-12 can increase the production of some subclasses of IgG antibodies. IL-12 has been shown to have potent therapeutic effects in a number of animal models of tumours and infectious diseases, including several viral infections. These results have led to the initiation of clinical trials to evaluate the therapeutic potential of IL-12 in human cancer patients and in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. The biological activities of IL-12 suggest that it may also have clinical utility in the treatment of patients suffering from chronic hepatitis B or C virus infections. Because of the lack of suitable animal models for evaluating the efficacy of IL-12 in the treatment of infections with these viruses, only a clinical trial in patients with chronic viral hepatitis can address the potential role of IL-12 as an effective treatment for these disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Inflammation/Autoimmune Diseases, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., Nutley, NJ 07110-1199, USA.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Gately
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D051379:Mice; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin / Q000737:chemistry; D053707:Receptors, Interleukin-12
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin; D053707:Receptors, Interleukin-12; D018664:Interleukin-12