Oral use of interferon

Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) given orally has biological activity in humans and other animals. The dose providing the most benefit delivers IFN-alpha to the oral mucosa in a concentration (10(2)-10(3) IU), similar to that nat urally produced in the nasal secretions during respiratory infections. In c ontrast, conventional IFN therapy employs parenteral doses of >10(6) IU and , for this reason, orally administered IFN therapies have been called low-d ose treatments. Efficacy in both animal disease models and human studies ha s been reported, and the mechanisms whereby oral administration has a syste mic effect are under active study in a number of laboratories.