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IL-1α (interleukin) is one of the three isoforms of IL-1, the other two being IL-1β and IL-1Rα. It is a proinflammatory macrophage cytokine. IL-1α is produced de novo and can either be actively secreted or can be released passively by apoptotic cells. This gene is localized to human chromosome 2q13–2q14.1.
Recombinant human IL-1α is an 18.0 kDa protein containing 159 amino acid residues.

IL-1α (interleukin) and IL-1β bind with IL-1 receptor and function as proinflammatory cytokineswhereas IL-1Rα competes to bind with IL-1R but is not proinflammatory. IL-1α can function as an intracrine molecule or as a transcription factor. IL-1 plays a major role in ischemic brain damageas the inactivation of both IL-1α and IL-1β lead to significant suppression in brain injury. Howeverinactivation of only IL-1α does not have much influence on overall damage due to some compensatory modifications in the IL-1 system. A hospital-based case-control study showed th at rs3783553 variant in this gene is linked with reduced risk of breast cancer. Tumor cell production of IL-1α helps their transmigration across the endotheliumand the expression of IL-1α is linked with distant metastasis in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.