Cytokines as targets of immunotherapy in bacterial pneumonia.

The generation of a vigorous inflammatory response is essential for the rapid clearance of microbes from the alveolar space. The magnitude of the inflammatory response is tightly controlled by host-derived cytokines, which mediate lung inflammation by serving as leukocyte chemoattractants, leukocyte activating factors, or afferent signals in the induction or regulation of other effector molecules. In this article the role of specific cytokines in lung innate immunity will be reviewed. Future directions regarding the use of specific forms of immunotherapy, including compartmentalized cytokine delivery with gene therapy as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of pneumonia, will be explored.