title: Interleukin-16 and peptide derivatives as immunomodulatory therapy in allergic lung disease.
abstract: The therapeutic potential of interleukin (IL)-16 and derived peptides in allergic asthma is considered, focusing on key interactions with CD4 and associated chemokine receptors. IL-16 is a pleiotropic cytokine that has multiple effector functions with putative roles in varied T cell-mediated inflammatory diseases, such as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and atopic dermatitis. Both in vitro and in vivo, IL-16 downregulates antigen-driven T cell activation, T helper 2 cytokine production and allergic airway inflammation. Peptides derived from the C-terminal bioactive portion of IL-16 offer advantages related to their retained immunomodulatory properties and absence of signalling in and chemoattraction to T cells.
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Medicine, Pulmonary Center R-304, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA. flittle@lung.bumc.bu.edu
authors.forename: Frédéric F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Cruikshank
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002630:Chemotactic Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015536:Down-Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D019410:Interleukin-16 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; D002630:Chemotactic Factors; D019410:Interleukin-16; D010455:Peptides