Interferon

Definition
Types of Interferons
General characteristics of interferons
Uses of Interferons

1. Interferons (INF) Prepared by , Mr. Snehal Patel Sumandeep Vidyapeeth

2. Content Definition Types of Interferons General characteristics of interferons Uses of Interferons

3. Definition of Interferons Interferons(INF) are set of proteins which are released by virus infected cells in vivo and which reacts with uninfected cells so as to render them resistant to infection to virus.

4. Types of Interferons S.NO Types Source 1 α -interferon Monocytes and B-Lymphocytes 2 β -interferon Fibroblasts and epithelial cells 3 ϒ -interferon T-cells

5. Both α and β interferons produced in response to virus, where as ϒ interferon produced from antigen activated T lymphocytes Chemically interferons are glycoprotein in nature having molecular weight 20,000 to 40,000 Interferons not only inhabit viral replication but also modify the immune response

6. General characteristics of interferons are as follows: These are a family of glycoproteins . Interferons are resistant to heat at 56 C-60 O C and 30 to 60 minutes. They are stable over a wide range of pH ( 2 to 10). They do not have any direct action on viruses. Their activities are not virus specific. Interferons induced by one virus is effective against many other viruses. They have a molecular weight of about 20,000 to 40,000 and are non dialysable and nonsedimentable . Synthesis of interferons begins within one hour of induction and takes about 12 hours to reach its maximum activity. These are sensitive to the action of proteolytic enzymes but resist destruction by nuclease and lipases. Interferon production is increased by increasing the temperature upto about 40 C and is inhibited by steroids and increased oxygen tension. It is nontoxic, nonantigenic , diffuses freely in the body and has a wide spectrum of antiviral activity. Many properties of interferon make it an ideal candidate for use in prophylaxis and treatment of viral infections.

7. Uses of Interferons Use It is used in the case of Keratitis, genital warts and respiratory virus α interferon is being used in several hematological disorders such as hairy cell leukemia and chronic leukemia It is used as adjuvant therapy in patients with breast carcinoma It provides resistance to intracellular infections such as malaria, toxoplasmosis, chlamydia .