VEBRIANA I.K.

K4309084

 Interferons

(IFNs) are a group of proteins known primarily for their role in inhibiting viral infections and in stimulating the entire immune system to fight disease, in response to pathogens.

 TYPE
a)

I interferon: Interferon-alpha (leukocyte interferon) is produced by virus-infected leukocytes, etc

 b)

Interferon-beta (fibroblast interferon) is produced by virus-infected fibroblasts, or virus-infected epithelial cells, etc

 TYPE

II inteferon Interferon-gamma (immune interferon) is produced by certain activated T-cells and NK cells

 Interferons-alpha

and -beta have been used to treat various viral infections. One currently approved use for various types of interferon-a is in the treatment of certain cases of acute and chronic hepatitis C and chronic hepatitis B

Commercially produced by cell culture techniques or via recombinant technology, interferons exert their antiviral effect through a variety of mechanisms, including direct antiviral mechanisms (inhibition of viral attachment and uncoating, induction of intracellular proteins and ribonucleases) and by amplification of specific (cytotoxic T lympho-cyte) and nonspecific (natural killer cell) immune responses. Direct antiviral mechanisms presumably account for the response in hepatitis C infection

 Interferon-gamma

has been used to treat a variety of disease in which macrophage activation might play an important role in recovery, eg. lepromatous leprosy, leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis.

IFN-gamma enhances the microbicidal function of macrophages through formation of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) - IFN-gamma stimulates the expression of class I and class II MHC molecules and costimulatory molecules on antigen presenting cells - IFN-gamma promotes the differentiation of naive helper T cells into Th1 cells - IFN-gamma activates polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and cytotoxic T cells and increases the cytotoxicity of NK cells

In Figure 1.H, the steps are: Viral Nucleic Acid enters cell. Interferon genes of the cell's DNA are turned on. Interferon molecules are produced and released by the cell. The first host cell is killed by the virus. The interferons are recieved by another cell. In response, the second cell makes antiviral proteins, which block viral reproduction.

1) Obtaining an interferon beta gene 2) Modifying the gene 3) Making a recombinant DNA molecule 4) Adding the recombinant DNA molecule to a bacterium 5) Producing interferon beta-1b by bacterial fermentation 6) Extracting interferon beta-1b from the ferment 7) Adding inactive ingredients