title: How Does Interleukin-22 Mediate Liver Regeneration and Prevent Injury and Fibrosis?
abstract: Interleukin-22 (IL-22) is a pluripotent T cell-derived cytokine which is a member of IL-10 cytokine family. It is the only interleukin produced by immune cells but does not target immune system components. IL-22 is mainly produced by dendritic cells (DCs) and TH17, TH22, NK, and NKT cells and targets a number of body tissues including liver, pancreas, and other epithelial tissues. It provokes a series of downstream signaling pathways upon binding with IL-22R complex which protects liver damage through STAT3 activation. IL-22BP is an inhibitor of IL-22 which has 20-1000x more affinity to bind with IL-22 compared to IL-22R1 that inhibits IL-22 activity. Its level was found to be positively correlated with the severity of liver damage and fibrosis. So, the present review is an effort to reveal the exact mechanism lying in the hepatoprotective activity of IL-22 and some of its future therapeutic implications.
authors.affiliation: Cell & Molecular Biology Lab, Department of Zoology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Babar
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1812-0591
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Khawar
authors.affiliation: Cell & Molecular Biology Lab, Department of Zoology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Fareeha
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Azam
authors.affiliation: Cell & Molecular Biology Lab, Department of Zoology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Nadeem
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9503-9538
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.affiliation: Centennial College, Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Khawaja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abdul Mujeeb
mesh_terms: D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000276:immunology*; D055611:Natural Killer T-Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D000097043:Interleukin-22
chemical_list: D007378:Interleukins; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D000097043:Interleukin-22; C433253:IL22RA2 protein, human; C494086:STAT3 protein, human; C415369:interleukin-22 receptor