title: An overview of the involvement of interleukin-18 in degenerative retinopathies.
abstract: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of central vision loss worldwide and while polymorphisms in genes associated with the immune system have been identified as risk factors for disease development, the underlying pathways and mechanisms involved in disease progression have remained unclear. In AMD, localised inflammatory responses related to particulate matter accumulation and subsequent "sterile" inflammation has recently gained considerable interest amongst basic researchers and clinicians alike. Typically, inflammatory responses in the human body are caused as a result of bacterial or viral infection, however in chronic conditions such as AMD, extracellular particulate matter such as drusen can be "sensed" by the NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, culminating in the release of the two pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 in the delicate local tissue of the retina. Identification at the molecular level of mediators of the inflammatory response in AMD may yield novel therapeutic approaches to this common and often severe form of blindness. Here, we will describe the role of IL-18 in AMD and other forms of retinal disorders. We will outline some of the key functions of IL-18 as it pertains to maintaining tissue homeostasis in a healthy and degenerating/diseased retina.
authors.affiliation: Ocular Genetics Unit, Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Lincoln Place Gate, Dublin 2, Ireland, Matthew.Campbell@tcd.ie.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.forename: Ema
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: Paul F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Kenna
authors.forename: Anna-Sophia
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kiang
authors.forename: Marian M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Humphries
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Humphries
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D058847:Inflammasomes / Q000276:immunology*; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000276:immunology*; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000276:immunology*; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000276:immunology*; D012173:Retinitis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: C000589760:IL18 protein, human; D058847:Inflammasomes; D020382:Interleukin-18