Inflammation is associated with many processes such as cancer, infection, diet or even just reactive ones (e.g. sports injuries). In fact, even the recent COVID pandemic is not due to the virus itself but the ensuing reactive inflammation. ISI’s menu of inflammatory mediators including interleukins, prostaglandins and cytokines. Inflammation is meant to be the body’s way of using its immune system to fend off foreign agents such as cancer or infection or to mediate repair of tissue after an injury. However, when the immune system can go awry and over-react to stimuli, overproduction of these inflammatory agents effectively leads to the body attacking itself. Indeed, even diseases such as heart disease, organ fibrosis, vascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, and autoimmune disease are due to over active immune systems.
Recent research on interleukins is focusing on their complex roles in various diseases, particularly cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infections, with a strong emphasis on developing targeted therapies using interleukin inhibitors to precisely modulate immune responses, including investigations into the potential of specific interleukins like IL-15 for cancer immunotherapy and further understanding of how different interleukin subfamilies contribute to disease pathogenesis; additionally, researchers are exploring the interplay between interleukins and other immune cell signaling pathways to identify new therapeutic targets.
Recent research on prostaglandins is heavily focused on their role in inflammation, particularly highlighting the involvement of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in cancer progression, where it promotes tumor growth by stimulating cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and suppressing immune responses; additionally, studies are exploring the potential of targeting prostaglandin pathways for therapeutic interventions in conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, and neurodegenerative diseases.
ISI Related Testing: IL1 alpha, IL1 beta, IL6, IL8, IL10, PgD2, PgE2, PgE1, PgF2a
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- Thomas A Waldmann, Sigrid Dubois, Milos D Miljkovic, Kevin C Conlon. IL-15 in the Combination Immunotherapy of Cancer. Front Immunol. 2020 May 19:11:868. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00868.