Effect of alpha-interferons on immune function.
alpha-Interferons (IFN-alphas) have been shown to have pleiotropic effects on most components of the immune system. The most studied effect of IFN-alphas on the immune system is their ability to augment natural killer cell activity, an effect that is mediated by a complex variety of mechanisms. Both naturally occurring and recombinant IFN-alphas have shown differences of as much as 100-fold in their ability to activate natural killer activity. Although consensus IFN, a synthetic, nonnaturally occurring hybrid IFN, has been reported to have a high natural killer stimulatory capacity relative to its antiviral activity, the available data and experimental design do not permit a definitive conclusion. In summary, it is clear that the complex immunomodulatory effects of IFN-alphas are likely to contribute to their therapeutic activity.
Herberman
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University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15213, USA.
D000917:Antibody Formation; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*
D016898:Interferon-alpha