Interferon Gamma Versus Beta-Interferon in Pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis: Battle of Two Interferons

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the human central nervous system and generally leads to permanent neurologic disability in young adults. Pathophysiology of MS contains two distinctive but interrelated and interacting arms—inflammatory demyelination and neurodegeneration. The massive immune activation in MS pathophysiology is the product of interactions among various proinflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokines as well as other players such as matrix metalloproteinases. Interferon-gamma and beta-interferons are heavily involved in inflammatory cascade of MS. In this study, the potential molecular mechanisms of IFNβ and IFNγ in MS, their antithetical effects, and the possible controversial roles of IFNγ in MS treatment will be described. © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.