Navarro-González Juan F, Mora-Fernández Carmen
Servicio de Nefrología, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Carretera del Rosario, 145, 38010 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008 Mar;19(3):433-42. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2007091048. Epub 2008 Feb 6.
Cytokines act as pleiotropic polypeptides regulating inflammatory and immune responses through actions on cells. They provide important signals in the pathophysiology of a range of diseases, including diabetes mellitus. Chronic low-grade inflammation and activation of the innate immune system are closely involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes and its microvascular complications. Inflammatory cytokines, mainly IL-1, IL-6, and IL-18, as well as TNF-alpha, are involved in the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy. In this context, cytokine genetics is of special interest to combinatorial polymorphisms among cytokine genes, their functional variations, and general susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy. Finally, the recognition of these molecules as significant pathogenic mediators in diabetic nephropathy leaves open the possibility of new potential therapeutic targets.
细胞因子作为多效性多肽，通过作用于细胞来调节炎症和免疫反应。它们在包括糖尿病在内的一系列疾病的病理生理学中提供重要信号。慢性低度炎症和先天免疫系统的激活与糖尿病及其微血管并发症的发病机制密切相关。炎症细胞因子，主要是白细胞介素-1、白细胞介素-6和白细胞介素-18，以及肿瘤坏死因子-α，参与了糖尿病肾病的发生和发展。在这种情况下，细胞因子遗传学对于细胞因子基因之间的组合多态性、它们的功能变异以及对糖尿病肾病的总体易感性特别有意义。最后，将这些分子识别为糖尿病肾病的重要致病介质，为新的潜在治疗靶点提供了可能性。
