title: Interferon-gamma 1b for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
abstract: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) represents a particularly aggressive disease, the aetiology of which still remains unknown. The natural history of the disease often leads to respiratory failure and death, with a mortality rate greater than some cancers. To date, no management approach has proven to be efficacious for the treatment of this disease. IPF has been characterised as an 'epithelial-fibroblastic disorder', characterised by abnormal wound healing with excessive fibrosis and minimal inflammation. These emerging data have focused attention on antifibrotic drugs. Interferon-gamma1b (IFN-gamma1b) has recently been proposed as a promising candidate for the treatment of IPF. The reason for this is that IFN-gamma1b has the ability to modulate the Th1/Th2 imbalance and to suppress fibroblast activation. The view that IPF is untreatable at present requires reconsideration, as improved survival has been suggested in three controlled trials of IFN-gamma1b in IPF therapy.
authors.affiliation: Democritus University of Thrace, Department of Pneumonology, Medical School, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Demosthenes
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bouros
authors.forename: Katerina M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Antoniou
authors.forename: Argyris
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tzouvelekis
authors.forename: Nikolaos M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Siafakas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma