Gazzinelli R T
Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Mol Med Today. 1996 Jun;2(6):258-67. doi: 10.1016/1357-4310(96)88807-1.
A major goal for immunologists dealing with infectious diseases is the development of vaccines and immunotherapies that will protect patients against infection or the undesired effects of immune responses elicited by pathogens. Studies defining the function of different cytokines have contributed to the progress of new strategies to manipulate the immune response. Recent studies have demonstrated that interleukin 12 (IL-12) is a key cytokine for promoting cell-mediated immunity and initiating resistance to infection. Because IL-12 is a potent stimulator of host defense against a variety of pathogens, it holds great promise for therapeutic use. In addition, IL-12 antagonists protect the host against immunopathology and death caused by an excessive cellular immune response that can occur during acute microbial infections.
免疫学家应对传染病的一个主要目标是开发疫苗和免疫疗法，以保护患者免受感染或病原体引发的免疫反应的不良影响。确定不同细胞因子功能的研究推动了操纵免疫反应新策略的进展。最近的研究表明，白细胞介素12（IL-12）是促进细胞介导免疫和启动抗感染的关键细胞因子。由于IL-12是宿主抵御多种病原体的有力刺激物，因此具有巨大的治疗应用前景。此外，IL-12拮抗剂可保护宿主免受急性微生物感染期间可能发生的过度细胞免疫反应引起的免疫病理和死亡。
