| Description | Interleukins (IL) are a group of cytokines that play an important role in the immune system. They modulate inflammation and immunity by regulating growth, mobility and differentiation of lymphoid and other cells.Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a potent proinflammatory cytokine that induces interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production from Th1 cells, NK cells and activated macrophages, particularly in the presence of IL-12 [ ]. IL-18 also functions in developmental regulation of T-lymphocyte helper type I cells and in Fas-mediated cytotoxicity []. Suppression of IL-18 activity is being investigated for treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis [, ]. It acts by inducing heterodimerization of the two subunits of its receptor, IL-18RAlpha and IL-18RBeta shows structural similarity to IL-1.This entry represents interleukin-18. | Name | Interleukin-18 |
| Short Name | IL-18 | Type | Family |
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