Cyotkines as Potential Therapies for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infections

Cytokines are attracting increased interestas potential therapies for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. This attraction has particularlyarisen as these cytokines have become more commercially available through recombinant technologies.This review focuses on the effects of these biological response modifiers on preclinical HIV and relatedretrovirus infections. Cytokines that have particularly been considered for HIV disease control include:interferons -α , -β and -γ, interleukins-2. -3. -4. -6 and -7; tumour necrosis factors -α and -β; and the colonystimulating factors. Efficacy has especially been seen when these cytokines have been used in combinationwith the more conventional antiviral agents. Due to the many biological functions exerted by cytokines andtheir interweaving of biological effects with other cytokines, they appear to have the potential to both inhibitas well as enhance viral infections, depending upon how they are used, and caution is therefore urged intheir use