Role of cytokines in allergic airway inflammation.
Asthma is characterized by intense infiltration of eosinophils and CD4+ T cells into the submucosal tissue of airways. Accumulating evidence indicates that T helper type 2 cell-derived cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IL-13 play critical roles in orchestrating and amplifying allergic inflammation in asthma. In addition, it has been suggested that newly identified cytokines including thymic stromal lymphopoietin, IL-25 and IL-33 are involved in the induction of allergic inflammation in asthma. In this review, we discuss the role of individual cytokines in the pathogenesis of asthma.
Nakajima
Hiroshi
H
Department of Molecular Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba City, Chiba, Japan. nakajimh@faculty.chiba-u.jp
Takatsu
Kiyoshi
K
D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology
D016207:Cytokines