title: Interleukin-18 and the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Interleukin (IL)-18 is a new member of the IL-1 family of proinflammatory cytokines. Based on preclinical studies in animals, IL-18 likely plays a role in rheumatoid arthritis, and strategies to block IL-18 activity are underway in clinical trials. In one of these trials,a naturally occurring IL-18 binding protein (IL-18 BP) binds IL-18 with a high affinity and reduces disease severity in models of inflammatory diseases. IL-18 BP is not the soluble receptor for IL-18 but rather a distinct molecule, which appears to be distantly related to the IL-1 receptor type II, both structurally and functionally, and hence represents part of the IL-1 family of receptors.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, B168, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
authors.forename: Charles A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Dinarello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000276:immunology*; D023421:Models, Animal
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D020382:Interleukin-18