title: IL-18: a new player in immunotherapy for age-related macular degeneration?
abstract: Recent evidence suggests that the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-18 may have utility as an anti-angiogenic agent in the eye. Numerous laboratories, including our own have demonstrated the ability of murine IL-18 to prevent neovascularization in the retina, choroid and cornea in pathological scenarios. Here, we summarize the potential use of IL-18 as an immunotherapy for wet age-related macular degeneration treatment, describing past and recent findings pertaining to its biological function in the eye.
authors.affiliation: The Ocular Genetics Unit, Department of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Humphries
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D020382:Interleukin-18; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
keywords: AMD; IL-18; NLRP3; VEGF; choroidal neovascularization; geographic atrophy; immunotherapy; inflammasome; retina; retinal pigment epithelium