To protect the human body from the damaging effects of pathogenic pathogens - viruses, in the immune system there is a mechanism that ensures the fight against infectious diseases. It is the production by cells, for example, T-lymphocytes, of special substances, one of which is gamma-interferon. Formed in the immune system, the compound plays the role of cellular defense. Why is it so important, how is it formed, and by what principle does the integrity of our body exercise? We will receive answers to these questions in this article.
Chemical structure and preparation
The basis of the substance is a glycoprotein - a peptide associated with a carbohydrate. Biochemists have identified two of its forms, which differ in the amino acid composition of the first and 139 monomers in the polypeptide chain. They are called gamma interferon 1a and 2a. The average molecular weight is about 20 - 25 kDa. They are formed in response to the penetration of pathogenic agents represented by viral particles into tissues and cells. Under artificial conditions, the substance is obtained by biotechnology and genetic engineering using strains of E. coli bacteria, the plasmid of which contains the human interferon gene. Such gamma-interferon is called recombinant, it is part of the preparations: "Immuneron", "Ingaron", "Immunomax".
Immune response mechanism
The appearance in the body of foreign virulent pathogens is always accompanied by a system of protective processes, one of which is inflammation. It serves as a marker that signals the onset of both the disease itself and the response of cells to pathogen antigens. There is a complex of interactions between elements of an infected tissue or organ. It is based on substances produced by cells of lymphoid tissue: cytokines (lymphokines). For example, human gamma-interferon, interleukin 2, through membrane interactions, forces uninfected cells to start the synthesis of antibodies, and, in fact, are signal proteins. Let's consider them in more detail.
Properties of lymphokines
A locus containing a set of genes carrying information about the antigenic properties of the cytoplasmic membrane and other cellular organelles: nuclei, mitochondria, etc. is located in a pair of human chromosomes 6. Lymphokines themselves are not able to directly influence the antigens of viruses, but they quickly transmit information about the presence of foreign substances from one cell to another. For example, the TOR helper cell and TOR lymphocyte antigen receptor induces an intracellular signal by activating two special proteins. Later, in the lymphoid tissue , the process of mitotic division â proliferation â intensifies, and cellular immunity increases significantly. Like other lymphokines, gamma-interferon interferes with the processes of transcription of viral nucleic acid, and also inhibits the assembly of protein molecules of the pathogenic pathogen. We can say that the protein compounds considered by us are the basis of humoral immunity.
How the immune system works
The thymus gland, lymph nodes, palatine tonsils, appendix are the places where lymphocytes form. Protective cells produce antibodies that inhibit the development of an infectious onset in the body. In the early stages of their development, cells of the immune system, called naive, cannot track foreign antigens, bacteria, and viruses. They must mature and become immunocompetent - this happens in the thymus. The body system, which produces both the protective cells themselves: macrophages, T-lymphocytes, killer cells, and various types of gamma-interferon, is controlled by the higher cortical centers of the brain.
Its activities are also regulated by the adrenal glands, pituitary gland and hypothalamus. Psycho-emotional disorders, poor nutrition and bad habits reduce the body's immune responses, especially when this happens against a background of chronic stress. Since the response of the body is the result of the action of all its systems, any violation of homeostasis is fraught with immune malfunctions and poor health.
Antibodies to human gamma interferon
In medical practice, substances containing protective proteins obtained by immunizing animals with recombinant interferon are used as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent. Antibody molecules are precipitated from blood serum, purified and used as an antiviral drug. It is able to enhance the activity of the body's own protective compounds, for example, gamma globulins, as well as reduce the symptoms of respiratory infections: runny nose and nasal congestion, cough.
The therapeutic effect of interferon
Protective glycoprotein inhibits the growth of viruses and stimulates cell enzymes, for example, adenylate synthetase and protein kinase, which suppress the synthesis of nucleic acids and envelope proteins of the virus. The substance has the ability to affect the sensitivity of membrane cell proteins to lymphokines, i.e., it is an immunomodulator. Interferon gamma for children and adults is used to prevent and treat influenza and respiratory infections, with a positive test for the presence of Koch's bacillus in the body. The remedy is available in the form of tablets, ointments, suppositories and injections.
The use of a medication prescribed by a doctor in children can be started from 6 months, given the absence of allergic reactions and serious pathologies of the cardiovascular system in the child. A contraindication to the treatment of women is allergy and pregnancy. Modern drugs, especially those used in pediatrics, contain a recombinant protective protein with a high degree of purification and the complete absence of polypeptide fragments.