Peginterferon alfa-2

Interferons alfa-2a and -2b are biosynthetic forms of interferon alfa and consist of 165 amino acids. Interferons alfa-2a and -2b differ at amino acid position 23; alfa-2a has a lysine in that position, whereas -2b has an arginine at that position. Compared to other interferon alfa subtypes, interferons alfa-2a and -2b both have a deletion at position 44 in the amino acid sequence. [#] Peginterferon alfa-2a is a covalent conjugate of recombinant alfa-2a interferon with a single branched bis-monomethoxy polyethlyene glycol (PEG) chain. The PEG moiety is linked at a single site via a stable amide bond to lysine. Peginterferon alfa-2b is a covalent conjugate of recombinant alfa-2b interferon with PEG. Interferons alfa-2a and -2b are produced using recombinant DNA technology, through which a human leukocyte interferon gene is inserted into and expressed in Escherichia coli. [#] The PEG conjugate improves the pharmacokinetic profile of interferon alfa; pegylated interferon alfa clearance is lower than that of nonpegylated interferon alfa. [#]
Source: Aids Info Drugs - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research