title: Basic biology and role of interleukin-17 in immunity and inflammation.
abstract: Interleukin-17 (also known as interleukin-17A) is a key cytokine that links T-cell activation to neutrophil mobilization and activation. As such, interleukin-17 can mediate protective innate immunity to pathogens or contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. This review summarizes the basic biology of interleukin-17 and discusses its emerging role in periodontal disease. The current burden of evidence from human and animal model studies suggests that the net effect of interleukin-17 signaling promotes disease development. In addition to promoting neutrophilic inflammation, interleukin-17 has potent pro-osteoclastogenic effects that are likely to contribute to the pathogenesis of periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases involving bone immunopathology. Systemic treatments with anti-interleukin-17 biologics have shown promising results in clinical trials for psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis; however, their impact on the highly prevalent periodontal disease has not been investigated or reported. Future clinical trials, preferably using locally administered interleukin-17 blockers, are required to implicate conclusivelyinterleukin-17 in periodontitis and, more importantly, to establish an effective adjunctive treatment for this oral inflammatory disease.
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zenobia
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hajishengallis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000276:immunology*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000276:immunology; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D010519:Periodontium / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; C508717:IL17A protein, human; D020381:Interleukin-17; D003165:Complement System Proteins