Effect of alpha-interferons on immune function

alpha-Interferons (IFN-alphas) have been shown to have pleiotropic effects on most components of the immune system. The most studied effect of IFN-alphas on the immune system is their ability to augment natural killer cell activity, an effect that is mediated by a complex variety of mechanisms. Both naturally occurring and recombinant IFN-alphas have shown differences of as much as 100-fold in their ability to activate natural killer activity. Although consensus IFN, a synthetic, nonnaturally occurring hybrid IFN, has been reported to have a high natural killer stimulatory capacity relative to its antiviral activity, the available data and experimental design do not permit a definitive conclusion. In summary, it is clear that the complex immunomodulatory effects of IFN-alphas are likely to contribute to their therapeutic activity.