β Receptor

Benifits for Skin

IFNα is a protein produced by many different cell types in response to immunological stressors in their microenvironment, including Langerhans cells and dermal dendritic cells (DCs). The ability of Langerhans cells to stimulate T cells confers an immunological advantage that becomes compromised as skin ages, both intrinsically and due to photodamage, resulting in a gradual loss of Langerhans cell density. Dendritic cells are also diminished in intrinsically aged or UV irradiated skin. Due to this, UV radiation is a powerful source of immunosuppression. However, IFNα can be used to improve immune surveillance in aged skin by increasing the concentration of dendritic cells, Langerhans cells, and other antigen-presenting HLA-DR+ cells. In one clinical study, application of an IFNα cream before UV irradiation stimulated the proliferation of these cells, consequently improving immune surveillance in aged skin.