Cytokine treatment of mast-cell-mediated skin diseases.
Cytokines released by mast cells as well as their effects on mast cell functions appear to be of major importance in the pathogenesis of mast cell mediated skin diseases. In addition, the identification of some key mediators which were found to play a crucial in vivo rôle in certain disease states may allow the development of new therapeutic strategies using cytokines or cytokine antagonists for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. So far, encouraging results have been obtained when diseases with mast cell involvement such as atopic eczema or mastocytosis have been treated with different IFNs. Future trials using IFNs and other newly detected cytokines or their antagonists are required to establish effective therapy regimens.
Department of Dermatology, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Cell Biology and Immunobiology of the Skin, University of Münster, Germany.
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D016207:Cytokines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
D016207:Cytokines