Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan.
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
Front Immunol. 2022 Aug 11;13:919973. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.919973. eCollection 2022.
Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a potent pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in host defense against infections and regulates the innate and acquired immune response. IL-18 is produced by both hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells, including monocytes, macrophages, keratinocytes and mesenchymal cell. IL-18 could potentially induce inflammatory and cytotoxic immune cell activities leading to autoimmunity. Its elevated levels have been reported in the blood of patients with some immune-related diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, type I diabetes mellitus, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease. In the present review, we aimed to summarize the biological properties of IL-18 and its pathological role in different autoimmune diseases. We also reported some monoclonal antibodies and drugs targeting IL-18. Most of these monoclonal antibodies and drugs have only produced partial effectiveness or complete ineffectiveness , and human studies. The ineffectiveness of these drugs targeting IL-18 may be largely due to the loophole caused by the involvement of other cytokines and proteins in the signaling pathway of many inflammatory diseases besides the involvement of IL-18. Combination drug therapies, that focus on IL-18 inhibition, in addition to other cytokines, are highly recommended to be considered as an important area of research that needs to be explored.
白细胞介素-18(IL-18)是一种有效的促炎细胞因子,参与宿主对感染的防御,并调节先天和获得性免疫反应。IL-18 由造血细胞和非造血细胞产生,包括单核细胞、巨噬细胞、角质形成细胞和成纤维细胞。IL-18 可能通过诱导炎症和细胞毒性免疫细胞的活性导致自身免疫。其在一些免疫相关疾病患者的血液中水平升高,包括类风湿关节炎、系统性红斑狼疮、1 型糖尿病、特应性皮炎、银屑病和炎症性肠病。在本综述中,我们旨在总结 IL-18 的生物学特性及其在不同自身免疫性疾病中的病理作用。我们还报告了一些针对 IL-18 的单克隆抗体和药物。这些单克隆抗体和药物中的大多数仅产生部分有效性或完全无效,并且在人体研究中也是如此。针对 IL-18 的这些药物无效可能主要是由于除了 IL-18 参与外,许多炎症性疾病信号通路中还涉及其他细胞因子和蛋白质,从而导致了这一漏洞。除了针对其他细胞因子外,还强烈建议将重点关注 IL-18 抑制的联合药物疗法作为一个需要探索的重要研究领域。