Sahebnazar Barsa, Saberynejad Javad, Atashzar Mohammad Reza
Department of Immunology, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran.
Department of Pediatric, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Curr Mol Med. 2024 Jun 7. doi: 10.2174/0115665240309075240603062703.
Interferon epsilon (IFN-ε) belongs to the type I IFN group and exhibits various biological properties. IFN-ε exhibits different regulation mechanisms and expression via other type I IFNs. Its hormonal regulation suggests that this INF can have different functions and pathways from other type I IFNs. Although IFN-ε exhibits lower antiproliferative, anti-tumor, and antiviral activities compared to IFN-α, it has been identified to contribute to mucosal immunity, combat bacterial infections, and aid in the prevention of specific sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV, Zika virus, etc. IFN-α and IFN-β with their well-established properties have been a research hotspot for many years; nevertheless, IFN-ε, whose unique roles are only now beginning to emerge, may be an intriguing subject for future study. This review focuses on the known activity of IFN-ε in certain cancers, pregnancy, autoimmune diseases, bacterial infections, and viruses. The aim of this paper is to enhance the understanding of the potential efficacy of IFN-ε treatment in the future.
ε干扰素（IFN-ε）属于I型干扰素家族，具有多种生物学特性。IFN-ε与其他I型干扰素相比，表现出不同的调节机制和表达方式。其激素调节表明，这种干扰素可能具有与其他I型干扰素不同的功能和作用途径。尽管与IFN-α相比，IFN-ε的抗增殖、抗肿瘤和抗病毒活性较低，但它已被证实有助于黏膜免疫、对抗细菌感染，并有助于预防特定的性传播疾病，如HIV、寨卡病毒等。具有公认特性的IFN-α和IFN-β多年来一直是研究热点；然而，其独特作用才刚刚开始显现的IFN-ε，可能是未来研究的一个有趣课题。本综述重点关注IFN-ε在某些癌症、妊娠、自身免疫性疾病、细菌感染和病毒方面的已知活性。本文旨在加深对未来IFN-ε治疗潜在疗效的理解。
