PURPOSE: IFN-α is the only treatment capable of inducing long-term remission in some patients with ocular Behçet's disease. In this review, we focus on immune mechanisms of IFN-α in animal models and patients and compare the outcome of different clinical studies. METHODS: Review of literature using PubMed and Google and original data from rat models with monophasic/chronic or relapsing experimental autoimmune uveitis treated with IFN-α. RESULTS: The role of IFN-α and its effect on various cell types were investigated, in some cases with contradictory results. Some patients respond very well to IFN-α treatment, while others are non-responders, which was reflected in the uveitis rat models: relapsing uveitis was ameliorated, the monophasic/chronic disease even aggravated. CONCLUSIONS: Despite intensive investigations in patients and animal models, the immune mechanisms explaining the therapeutic effect of IFN-α in ocular Behçet's disease are not yet fully understood and need further investigation.
PURPOSE: IFN-α is the only treatment capable of inducing long-term remission in some patients with ocular Behçet's disease. In this review, we focus on immune mechanisms of IFN-α in animal models and patients and compare the outcome of different clinical studies. METHODS: Review of literature using PubMed and Google and original data from rat models with monophasic/chronic or relapsing experimental autoimmune uveitis treated with IFN-α. RESULTS: The role of IFN-α and its effect on various cell types were investigated, in some cases with contradictory results. Some patients respond very well to IFN-α treatment, while others are non-responders, which was reflected in the uveitisrat models: relapsing uveitis was ameliorated, the monophasic/chronic disease even aggravated. CONCLUSIONS: Despite intensive investigations in patients and animal models, the immune mechanisms explaining the therapeutic effect of IFN-α in ocular Behçet's disease are not yet fully understood and need further investigation.
Entities:
Keywords:
NK cells; Th1; Th17; rat experimental autoimmune uveitis; regulatory T cells