Anticytokine therapy, particularly anti-IFN-γ, in Th1-mediated autoimmune diseases

Abstract

Anticytokine therapy was proposed in 1974 in Nature, in which it was stated that hyperproduced interferon can cause autoimmune disease and anti-interferon can be therapeutic. In 1989, the use of antibodies to tumor necrosis factor-α in combination with antibodies to certain types of interferon was proposed to treat various autoimmune diseases, including AIDS. The first anticytokine therapy was conducted in 1975. Anti-interferon-γ has brought improved and often striking results in the treatment of various T-helper 1-mediated autoimmune diseases, including inflammatory skin diseases. Anti-interferon-γ may be a universal treatment for these conditions. In AIDS and other virus-induced autoimmune diseases, the virus may stimulate cytokines (interferons), which increase, rather than halt, viral replication. Tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors have also shown good clinical results, however, they may result in complications and are ineffective in some autoimmune diseases.

Keywords::

• AIDS
• anticytokine
• anti-interferon-α
• anti-interferon-γ
• autoimmune diseases
• cytokines
• inflammatory skin diseases
• T-helper 1
• tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists