A DISTURBANCE OF INTERFERON SYNTHESIS WITH THE HYPERPRODUCTION OF UNUSUAL KINDS OF INTERFERON CAN TRIGGER AUTOIMMUNE-DISEASE AND PLAY A PATHOGENETIC ROLE IN AIDS - THE REMOVAL OF THESE INTERFERONS CAN BE THERAPEUTIC

Disturbances of interferon synthesis with the hyperproduction of unusu al kinds of interferons may be the initial step which triggers autoimm une disease through a chain of pathological reactions including the di sturbances of several immunological and cytokine cascades. Prolonged c irculation of this interferon may be a predictive marker of an autoimm une condition; the administration of interferons to animals or humans with autoimmune disease or an underlying or latent autoimmune conditio n can exacerbate or trigger the disease. Healthy people do not have in terferon in their blood. This fundamental disturbance of interferon sy nthesis can result either from a genetic predisposition or from the in fluence of certain viruses (or viral particles) or both factors togeth er. AIDS has many features similar to autoimmune disease, including th e hyperproduction of aberrant interferon, a type with restricted anti- HIV activity, protectively induced by HIV to allow its continued repli cation and survival. This interferon stimulates the production of cert ain cytokines and autoantibodies which help unleash the potentially se lf-destructive powers of the immune system, bringing immunological cha os. In other words, while usual viruses induce normal interferon, whic h protects the cells against viral infection, HIV induces an abnormal, defective kind of interferon which ensures virus survival. Since ther e is no known effective method of destroying HIV directly, removing li nks in this chain of reactions could indirectly destroy HIV and possib ly help restore immune functioning. The neutralization of hyperproduce d interferons, certain other cytokines and some autoantibodies and aut oantigens by injected polyclonal or monoclonal antibody produced prefe rably in human hybridoma, removal via extracorporeal means, or the use of pharmaceutical agents which dampen the production or biological ac tivity of these factors can be a therapeutic approach to the managemen t of these chronic diseases.