Department of Medicine-Solna, Translational Immunology Unit, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, L2:04, 171 76, Stockholm, Sweden,
Cell Mol Life Sci. 2013 Dec;70(24):4795-808. doi: 10.1007/s00018-013-1425-y. Epub 2013 Jul 27.
Inflammation serves as the first line of defense in response to tissue injury, guiding the immune system to ensure preservation of the host. The inflammatory response can be divided into a quick initial phase mediated mainly by innate immune cells including neutrophils and macrophages, followed by a late phase that is dominated by lymphocytes. Early in the new millennium, a key component of the inflammatory reaction was discovered with the identification of a number of cytosolic sensor proteins (Nod-like receptors) that assembled into a common structure, the 'inflammasome'. This structure includes an enzyme, caspase-1, which upon activation cleaves pro-forms of cytokines leading to subsequent release of active IL-1 and IL-18. This review focuses on the role of IL-18 in inflammatory responses with emphasis on autoimmune diseases.
炎症反应作为对组织损伤的第一道防线，指导免疫系统以确保宿主的保存。炎症反应可以分为一个快速的初始阶段，主要由先天免疫细胞（如中性粒细胞和巨噬细胞）介导，随后是一个由淋巴细胞主导的晚期阶段。在新千年的早期，随着一系列胞质传感器蛋白（Nod-like 受体）的鉴定，发现了炎症反应的一个关键组成部分，这些传感器蛋白组装成一个共同的结构，即“炎症小体”。该结构包括一种酶，即半胱天冬酶-1，它在被激活后会切割细胞因子的前体形式，导致随后释放活性的 IL-1 和 IL-18。本综述重点介绍了 IL-18 在炎症反应中的作用，特别是在自身免疫性疾病中的作用。
