Therapeutic potential of cytokine manipulation.

Interleukin 1 is just one of a large, growing, collection of potent cytokines that are produced by a variety of cells and have a myriad of overlapping activities. Many of these cytokines have important pathophysiological actions in diseases ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to AIDS. Selective inhibition of the synthesis or of the action of specific cytokines may have therapeutic benefit. In this review, Brian Henderson and Simon Blake discuss the ways in which cytokine function could be manipulated pharmacologically for therapeutic benefit.