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ANTIVIR
The protein interferon, produced by animal
cells when they are invaded by viruses, is released into
the bloodstream or intercellular fluid to induce healthy
cells to manufacture an enzyme that counters the infection.
Interferon is therefore considered a potential medical
resource as a BIOPHARMACEUTICAL.
For many years the supply of interferon for research was
limited by costly extraction techniques. In 1980, however,
the protein became available in greater quantities through
GENETIC ENGINEERING.
Scientists also determined that the body makes three distinct
types of interferon, each perhaps with several members.
These classes were first called leukocyte, fibroplast,
and immune interferon after their supposed production
sites, but it is now known that each particular class
is not, after all, made by a single cell type. The classes
are therefore now called, respectively, alpha, beta, and
gamma interferon. Interferons were also first thought
to be extremely species-specific, but it is now known
that individual interferons may have different ranges
of activity in other species.Alpha interferon has been
approved for therapeutic use against hairy-cell LEUKEMIA
and Hepatitis C. It has also been found effective against
chronic hepatitis B, a major cause of liver cancer and
cirrhosis, as well as for treatment of genital warts and
some rarer cancers of blood and bone marrow. Nasal sprays
containing alpha interferon provide some protection against
colds caused by rhinoviruses.
ANTIVIR is the most frequently used cytokine in the treatment
of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory
tract, such as PRRS, PRV and TEG. This cytokine has emerged
as an important regulator of growth and differentiation,
affecting cellular communication and immunologic control.
The efficacy of ANTIVIR has been shown in many different
diseases of viral, malignant, angiogenic, allergic, inflammatory,
and fibrotic origin. Cytokines are pleiotropic molecules
with a wide variety of biological functions on various
cells and tissues, and several different cytokines exert
similar and overlapping functions on certain cells. Originally
described as an antiviral substance, the role of ANTIVIR
as an immunoregulatory molecule has long been ignored.
Recent data suggest that ANTIVIR is a multifunctional
immunomodulatory cytokine with profound effects on the
cytokine cascade including several anti-inflammatory properties.
These newly identified immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory
functions may be of importance in the treatment of diseases
such as PRRS and help to explain some of the interferon
mechanisms.
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