Dec M, Puchalski A
University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Biological Bases of Animal Diseases, Department of Veterinary Prevention, Lublin, Poland.
Pol J Vet Sci. 2008;11(2):175-86.
Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is well known as a clinically effective antiviral and antineoplastic therapeutic agent. It has also been shown to have immunoregulatory properties. IFN-alpha stimulates a cell-mediated innate immune response and then participates in the transition of the initial host innate response to an effective adaptive immune response. IFN-alpha is produced in small quantities in nasal secretions during viral infections, prompting many authors to suggest that low-dose oromucosal administration of IFN-alpha effectively mimics nature. Moreover, the injectable high-dose interferon therapy currently approved for various human disorders causes numerous side effects. By contrast, oromucosal administration of IFN-alpha is not associated with toxic effects. Another distinct advantage is ease of administration: the IFN can be dissolved in drinking water or administered by nebulization to the oral or nasal cavity. This review describes the current state of knowledge concerning orally administered IFN-alpha, of both human and animal origin, as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent in veterinary medicine. We present the effects of IFN-alpha in such animals as cattle, pigs, horses, cats, dogs and chickens, and attempt to explain its mechanism of action following oromucosal administration. It is hoped that this review of the medical literature on the use of IFN-alpha in animals will give practitioners a better understanding of the challenges and benefits of using this interesting cytokine in clinical practice.
α干扰素（IFN-α）作为一种临床有效的抗病毒和抗肿瘤治疗药物广为人知。它也已被证明具有免疫调节特性。IFN-α刺激细胞介导的先天性免疫反应，然后参与宿主初始先天性反应向有效的适应性免疫反应的转变。在病毒感染期间，鼻分泌物中会少量产生IFN-α，这促使许多作者提出，低剂量经口黏膜给予IFN-α可有效模拟自然情况。此外，目前批准用于各种人类疾病的注射用高剂量干扰素疗法会引起许多副作用。相比之下，经口黏膜给予IFN-α不会产生毒性作用。另一个明显的优点是给药方便：IFN可以溶解在饮用水中或通过雾化吸入给药至口腔或鼻腔。这篇综述描述了关于人源和动物源口服IFN-α作为兽医学预防或治疗药物的现有知识状况。我们介绍了IFN-α在牛、猪、马、猫、狗和鸡等动物中的作用，并试图解释其经口黏膜给药后的作用机制。希望这篇关于动物使用IFN-α的医学文献综述能让从业者更好地理解在临床实践中使用这种有趣的细胞因子所面临的挑战和益处。
