Understanding and exploiting the endogenous interleukin-10/STAT3-mediated anti-inflammatory response.

Interleukin (IL)-10 performs an irreplaceable role in negatively regulating inflammation, primarily through a mechanism that selectively blocks the expression of pro-inflammatory genes encoding cytokines, chemokines, cell-surface molecules and other molecules involved in the propagation of inflammation. Not surprisingly, IL-10 has attracted interest as a tool to regulate inflammatory diseases. The clinical use of IL-10 as an anti-inflammatory agent has, however, not met expectations. Nevertheless, the signaling pathway used by the IL-10 receptor to generate the anti-inflammatory response is only beginning to be understood and could be a way to regulate inflammation by pharmacological agents.