白细胞介素18

Interleukin 18.

白细胞介素 18 (IL 18)是新发现的细胞因子 ,具有多种生物学功能 .IL 18能促进外周血单个核细胞产生干扰素 γ (IFN γ)、IL 2、粒细胞巨噬细胞集落刺激因子 (GM CSF)等细胞因子 ,增强天然杀伤细胞 (NK细胞 )的细胞毒作用 .IL 18结构上与IL 1相似 ,而功能更接近IL 12 ,IL 18与IL 12均能诱导Th1细胞产生IFN γ ,存在协同效应 ,但它们的作用途径不同 .IL 18在抗感染抗肿瘤等方面有着潜在的应用前景 。

Interleukin 18 (IL 18) is a recently identified cytokine, originally called interferon gamma inducing factor. Due to its capacity to induce interferon gamma production in Th1 type cells. It has pleiotropic biological functions. IL 18 belongs structurally to the IL 1 cytokine family and shares biological properties with IL 12. Consequently, IL 18 is a potential regulator of antitumor immune response. IL 18 plays an important role in autoimmune disease and endotoxin induced injury. So, future work will focus on its application as an immunotherapeutic agent for a variety of diseases.