Tuning immune tolerance with vasoactive intestinal peptide: a new therapeutic approach for immune disorders.
The induction of immune tolerance is essential for the maintenance of immune homeostasis and to limit the occurrence of exacerbated inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. Multiple mechanisms act together to ensure self-tolerance, including central clonal deletion, cytokine deviation and induction of regulatory T cells. Identifying the factors that regulate these processes is crucial for the development of new therapies of autoimmune diseases and transplantation. The vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a well-characterized endogenous anti-inflammatory neuropeptide with therapeutic potential for a variety of immune disorders. Here, we examine the latest research findings, which indicate that VIP participates in maintaining immune tolerance in two distinct ways: by regulating the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors, and by inducing the emergence of regulatory T cells with suppressive activity against autoreactive T-cell effectors.
Pozo
David
D
Departamento de Bioquimica Medica y Biologia Molecular, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla 41009, Spain.
Gonzalez-Rey
Elena
E
Chorny
Alejo
A
Anderson
Per
P
Varela
Nieves
N
Delgado
Mario
M
D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007154:Immune System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects*; D008954:Models, Biological; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide