This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Biological effects of interferons

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The biological effects of interferons may be classified into three categories:

  • antiviral:
    • high interferon levels in some viral infections are correlated with eventual resolution of infection
    • neutralising antibodies to interferons may increase the virulence of viral infections
    • type I interferons are secreted by virus-infected cells to provide a local (paracrine) signal to neighbouring cells
    • neighbouring cells become more resistant to the entry, replication and shedding of viruses

  • antiproliferative/antitumour effects:
    • type I and II interferons are synergistic
    • the levels of metabolically important chemicals are altered e.g. tryptophan
    • cells arrested in the Go stage of the cell cycle
    • protein kinase and c-myc levels are decreased
    • activation of natural killer and cytotoxic T cells

  • immunomodulatory effects:
    • type I & II interferons increase the levels of MHC class I expression
    • type II interferon increases type II MHC expresion
    • type II interferon is the classical macrophage activating factor

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.