Pavan Reddy1. 1. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0942, USA. reddypr@umich.edu
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Interleukin-18 (IL-18) has potent immunomodulatory effects. It is the only cytokine with a unique capacity to induce T helper 1 or T helper 2 polarization, depending on the immunologic context. Serum levels of IL-18 are increased in many human diseases and it has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several immune-mediated processes. Some of the recent key advances in the immunobiology of IL-18 are discussed in this review. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent data from several laboratories have shed light on the structure of IL-18; the signaling cascades that are initiated; and its role on modulating T cells, dendritic cells, and natural killer cell function. Several new reports have expanded and delineated the role of IL-18 in a multitude of diseases, but only recent advances in the role of IL-18 in three disease processes (acute graft-versus-host disease, insulin-dependent diabetes, and sepsis), where it appears to play paradoxic roles are discussed. SUMMARY: Although emerging data shed more light on the complex role of IL-18 in immune reactions, they also pose more questions. Given the pleiotropic, complex, and at times paradoxic effects of IL-18 in various disease processes, better understanding of its immunobiology might lead to the development of IL-18 and/or its antagonists as therapeutic agents against immune-mediated diseases.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Interleukin-18 (IL-18) has potent immunomodulatory effects. It is the only cytokine with a unique capacity to induce T helper 1 or T helper 2 polarization, depending on the immunologic context. Serum levels of IL-18 are increased in many human diseases and it has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several immune-mediated processes. Some of the recent key advances in the immunobiology of IL-18 are discussed in this review. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent data from several laboratories have shed light on the structure of IL-18; the signaling cascades that are initiated; and its role on modulating T cells, dendritic cells, and natural killer cell function. Several new reports have expanded and delineated the role of IL-18 in a multitude of diseases, but only recent advances in the role of IL-18 in three disease processes (acute graft-versus-host disease, insulin-dependent diabetes, and sepsis), where it appears to play paradoxic roles are discussed. SUMMARY: Although emerging data shed more light on the complex role of IL-18 in immune reactions, they also pose more questions. Given the pleiotropic, complex, and at times paradoxic effects of IL-18 in various disease processes, better understanding of its immunobiology might lead to the development of IL-18 and/or its antagonists as therapeutic agents against immune-mediated diseases.
Authors: Luis Rodriguez-Menocal; Mohd Hafeez Faridi; Laisel Martinez; Lina A Shehadeh; Juan C Duque; Yuntao Wei; Annia Mesa; Angela Pena; Vineet Gupta; Si M Pham; Roberto I Vazquez-Padron Journal: Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol Date: 2014-01-10 Impact factor: 4.733
Authors: Bianca E Schneider; Daniel Korbel; Kristine Hagens; Markus Koch; Bärbel Raupach; Jana Enders; Stefan H E Kaufmann; Hans-Willi Mittrücker; Ulrich E Schaible Journal: Eur J Immunol Date: 2010-02 Impact factor: 5.532