The airway epithelium provides a crucial barrier against infection with respiratory pathogens. This barrier can be impaired following viral infection, paving the way for bacterial superinfections. Type I interferons (IFNs) are important antiviral mediators, and inhaled formulations of these glycoproteins are considered a potential approach for the treatment of respiratory viral infections. To investigate if type I IFNs can also protect against virus-induced epithelial barrier dysfunction, differentiated primary bronchial epithelial cells were pre-treated with IFN-
- Boland, H.
- Endres, A.
- Kinscherf, R.
- Schubert, R.
- Wilhelm, B.
- Schwarzbach, H.
- Jonigk, D.
- Braubach, P.
- Rohde, G.
- Bellinghausen, C.
Keywords
- Humans
- *Rhinovirus/drug effects/physiology
- *Picornaviridae Infections/drug therapy/virology
- *Tight Junctions/metabolism/drug effects
- *Epithelial Cells/virology/drug effects/metabolism/microbiology
- *Interferon Type I/metabolism/pharmacology
- Respiratory Mucosa/virology/drug effects
- Cells, Cultured
- Zonula Occludens-1 Protein/metabolism
- Bronchi/virology/cytology
- Streptococcus pneumoniae/drug effects
- Coinfection/microbiology/virology
- Cilia/drug effects/metabolism