Therapeutic effects of interferons in human viral infections

Abstract

The interferon (IFN) is a cytokine produced by immunocompetent cells in response to various stimuli. Five types of IFNs are identified: alpha, beta, gamma, tau and omega 1. In particular, interferons inhibit viral replication directly by antiviral mechanisms, as they do so indirectly by amplifying immune responses to viral proteins. Likewise, they are also essential elements in clinical oncology. They are used in the treatment of chronic myelocytic and hairy cell leukemia, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, melanoma, renal carcinoma, and Kaposi's sarcoma, as well as in the papilloma. They are also used in diseases of viral origin such as hepatitis B and C, acute respiratory syndrome, and HIV (experimentally in the latter), as well as in neurodegenerative diseases, including