Association of interleukin-18 and asthma

MH Xu, FL Yuan, SJ Wang, HY Xu, CW Li, X Tong - Inflammation, 2017 - Springer
MH Xu, FL Yuan, SJ Wang, HY Xu, CW Li, X Tong
Inflammation, 2017Springer
Cytokine-mediated immunity plays a dominant role in the pathogenesis of various immune
diseases, including asthma. The recent identification of the family interleukin (IL)-1-related
cytokine IL-18 now contributes to our understanding of the fine-tuning of cellular immunity. IL-
18 can act as a cofactor for Th2 cell development and IgE production and also plays an
important role in the differentiation of Th1 cells. Recent work identified an IL-18 association
with the pathogenesis of asthma, wherein increased IL-18 expression was found in the …
Abstract
Cytokine-mediated immunity plays a dominant role in the pathogenesis of various immune diseases, including asthma. The recent identification of the family interleukin (IL)-1-related cytokine IL-18 now contributes to our understanding of the fine-tuning of cellular immunity. IL-18 can act as a cofactor for Th2 cell development and IgE production and also plays an important role in the differentiation of Th1 cells. Recent work identified an IL-18 association with the pathogenesis of asthma, wherein increased IL-18 expression was found in the serum of patients. Furthermore, IL-18 polymorphisms with susceptibility to asthma were reported, suggesting that IL-18 may be therapeutically relevant to asthma. In this review, we discuss the role of IL-18 in the pathogenesis of asthma and its therapeutic potential based on current research.
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