García-Lloret M I, Ignacio Santos J
Laboratorio de Inmunoquímica y Biología Celular, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, D.F.
Bol Med Hosp Infant Mex. 1990 Dec;47(12):797-808.
The cytokines are multifunctional polypeptide hormones, produced by a variety of cells, that participate in the regulation of many biological processes. Essentially acting as intercellular messengers, they play a central role in the maintenance of homeostasis in normal tissues. Cytokines are key mediators of both local and systemic immune-inflammatory responses; therefore, disturbances in their secretion, response and/or regulation have been implicated in the pathophysiology of several conditions in which an exaggerated auto-destructive component appears to play a role. Conversely, deficits in cytokine production probably impair the host's ability to mount an effective immune response and may underlie the increased susceptibility to microbial infection observed, for example, in the neonate or in the malnourished patient. A review of the principal aspects of the biology of cytokines is presented together with the evidence supporting their involvement in several pathological states and the potential therapeutic applications of these mediators as novel immunomodulating agents.
细胞因子是由多种细胞产生的多功能多肽激素，参与许多生物过程的调节。它们本质上作为细胞间信使，在正常组织内环境稳态的维持中发挥核心作用。细胞因子是局部和全身免疫炎症反应的关键介质；因此，其分泌、反应和/或调节的紊乱与几种疾病的病理生理学有关，在这些疾病中，过度的自我破坏成分似乎起作用。相反，细胞因子产生不足可能会损害宿主产生有效免疫反应的能力，这可能是例如新生儿或营养不良患者对微生物感染易感性增加的原因。本文综述了细胞因子生物学的主要方面，以及支持它们参与几种病理状态的证据，以及这些介质作为新型免疫调节剂的潜在治疗应用。
