Definition of "alpha-interferon" []

• A family of glycoproteins that are produced endogenously and prepared commercially for their pharmacologic effects, which include antiviral and antineoplastic activity and immune system regulation. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Reishi also shrinks tumors according to clinical studies by increasing T-cell and alpha-interferon production."
• "They followed ten patients who had been taking alpha-interferon therapy from 1984 through 1986."
• "Until recently, one form of this substance, alpha-interferon (also called interferon A) was the only treatment for HCV infection approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."