Innate immunity interferon system

Imiquimod (Aldara) is a synthetic imidazoquinoline amine believed to exert immunomodulatory effects by acting as a ligand at toll-like receptors in the innate immune system and inducing the cytokines interferon-a (IFN-a), tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), and lL-1, lL-6, lL-8, lL-10, and lL-12. 

In the early stage of viral infection there is an intensive race between the virus and the host s defense systems, which are mediated through (1) nonspecific or innate immune defenses by interferon, natural killer (NK) cells, complement cascade, apoptosis, and macrophages (2) specific or adaptive immune defenses by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), helper T lymphocytes, and anti-viral antibodies (Ploegh 1998). The conclusion of this race will depend on how rapidly the virus can infect and/or replicate before it is cleared by an active immune system. 

Nervous system Interferon alfa has been used to investigate pathways by which innate immune cytokines affect the brain and behavior [38 ]. There were reduced motor speed and reaction times and slower response times in the rapid visual information processing task in patients who were treated with interferon alfa and ribavirin. Reduced motor speed correlated with increased symptoms of depression and fatigue. 

Ronnblom L, Pascual V (2008) The innate immune system in SLE type I interferons and dendritic cells. Lupus 17 394—399... 

Cytokine is a general term used for a diverse assortment of water-soluble protein molecules that mediate interactions between the various cells of the innate and adaptive immune systems. Over 100 human cytokines are currently under study and more than 300,000 research papers have been published in this area over the past 10-15 years. The interferons, discussed in section 6.2.1, are a subset of the cytokines, as are the interleukins, discussed in section 6.1.3. The nomenclature used to describe cytokines is somewhat confusing and varying subclasses of cytokines are recognized ... 

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