Interferon

Interferons are natural cell-signaling proteins that play an important role in the first line of defense against viral infections. They are part of the non-specific immune system and are induced at an early stage in viral infection – before the specific immune system has had time to respond.

There are a number of different interferons. They fall into three main classes : alpha, beta, and gamma. All are proteins (lymphokines) normally produced by the body in response to infection.