Mink Interleukin-1 Alpha (IL-1α) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine belonging to the IL-1 family—which includes IL-1α, IL-1β, and the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra)—and plays a central role in initiating innate immune responses in mink (Neovison vison). IL-1α is constitutively expressed in epithelial and barrier tissues and functions as an intracellular alarmin that is rapidly released upon cell injury, necrosis, or viral infection, triggering early inflammatory signaling. Upon binding to the IL-1 receptor type 1 (IL-1R1), IL-1α activates NF-κB and MAPK pathways that promote leukocyte recruitment, endothelial activation, fever, and amplification of pro-inflammatory cytokine cascades. In mink health, IL-1α is particularly relevant in inflammatory and infectious diseases such as Aleutian disease virus (ADV) infection, mink viral enteritis, bacterial pneumonia, and SARS-CoV-2 infection, where epithelial damage and immune activation contribute to respiratory and systemic inflammation. While essential for pathogen defense and tissue repair, excessive IL-1α signaling may exacerbate lung pathology and chronic inflammatory responses. As an early mediator of sterile and infectious inflammation, mink IL-1α serves as a biomarker of tissue injury and innate immune activation. In translational research, mink have been important models for viral transmission and immune-mediated disease, and characterization of IL-1α supports studies of cytokine-driven inflammation, host–virus interactions, and development of targeted anti-inflammatory strategies relevant to both animal health and human infectious disease research.