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World J Gastroenterol. Nov 7, 2012; 18(41): 5848-5861
Published online Nov 7, 2012. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i41.5848
Changes of the cytokine profile in inflammatory bowel diseases
Györgyi Műzes, Béla Molnár, Zsolt Tulassay, Ferenc Sipos
Györgyi Műzes, Ferenc Sipos, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1088 Budapest, Hungary
Béla Molnár, Zsolt Tulassay, Molecular Medicine Research Unit, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
Author contributions: Műzes G, Molnár B, Tulassay Z and Sipos F contributed to the writing, editing and revising of this paper.
Correspondence to: Ferenc Sipos, MD, PhD, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1088 Budapest, Hungary. dr.siposf@gmail.com
Telephone: +36-20-4780752 Fax: +36-1-2660816
Received: May 7, 2012
Revised: June 12, 2012
Accepted: June 28, 2012
Published online: November 7, 2012
Abstract

Cytokines are indispensable signals of the mucosa-associated immune system for maintaining normal gut homeostasis. An imbalance of their profile in favour of inflammation initiation may lead to disease states, such as that is observed in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Although Crohn’s disease (CD) is often described as a prototype of T-helper 1-type diseases, and ulcerative colitis (UC) is traditionally viewed as a T-helper 2-mediated condition, the classic paradigm, which categorises cytokines into pro- and anti-inflammatory groups, has recently been changed. The inflammation regulatory pathways may not be mutually exclusive as individual cytokines can have diverse and even opposing functions in various clinical and immunological settings. None the less there are many common immunological responses in IBD that are mediated by cytokines. Although they regulate and influence the development, course and recurrence of the inflammatory process, the concrete pathogenic role of these small signaling molecules is sometimes not unambiguous in the subtypes of the disease. Our aim is to review the current information about pro- and anti-inflammatory effects of traditionally studied and recently discovered cytokines in the pathogenesis of UC and CD. The better understanding of their production and functional activity may lead to the development of new therapeutic modalities.

Keywords: Ulcerative colitis; Crohn’s disease; Interleukin-33; Tumor necrosis factor-like factor; Interleukin-8; Interleukin-35; Interleukin-25; Interleukin-4; Tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 14