title: Recombinant chicken interferon-α inhibits H9N2 avian influenza virus replication in vivo by oral administration.
abstract: Chicken interferon-alpha (ChIFN-α) has been demonstrated to be an important cytokine in antiviral immunity. However, the preventive or therapeutic effect of ChIFN-α as an oral antiviral agent on avian influenza virus (AIV) infection has not been fully clarified in chickens systemically. In the present study, we investigated the anti-H9N2 AIV effect of ChIFN-α on a cohort of 7- and 33-day-old specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens by oral administration. Results showed that both the ChIFN-α preventive and therapeutic groups exhibited significantly reduced viral load in trachea when compared with the virus-challenged control group. The therapeutic effect was better than the preventive effect on 7-day-old SPF chickens, which is opposite to 33-day-old SPF chickens. We speculated that T-dependent lymphocyte system of 33-day-old SPF chickens might be easier to be stimulated by ChIFN-α than that of 7-day-old SPF chickens. In addition, there was no side effect on the body weight of chickens treated with ChIFN-α. We also found that IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) (2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase and Mx1) were upregulated in groups treated by ChIFN-α and/or virus, indicating that these 2 ISGs not only participated in anti-AIV response in vivo but also could be induced by oral administration of ChIFN-α. The present study suggested that ChIFN-α could be used as a potential preventive and therapeutic antiviral agent against H9N2 AIV infection by oral administration.
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shanshan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Limin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chongfeng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhuoming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Huaiying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Youling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Wenjun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D002645:Chickens; D004338:Drug Combinations; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral / Q000187:drug effects; D007114:Immunization; D053127:Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D010880:Piperidines / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D014132:Trachea / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004338:Drug Combinations; D016898:Interferon-alpha; C108695:MX(1) complex; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D010880:Piperidines; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase