Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Jul;56(4):368-74.
doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.84717.

Cytokines in dermatology - a basic overview

Arijit Coondoo  1
Affiliations

Cytokines in dermatology - a basic overview

Arijit Coondoo. Indian J Dermatol. 2011 Jul.

Abstract

Cytokines are non-immunoglobulin proteins and glycoproteins produced by a wide variety of cells, in response to any immune stimulus. Cytokines are signaling molecules that send downstream signals to various cells through a number of signal transduction pathways and act further by binding to specific membrane receptors (cytokine receptors) on the cell surface. They are emergency molecules, which are released transiently. Cytokines play an important role in cellular communication. They regulate immunity, inflammation, cell activation, cell migration, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and hematopoiesis. However, when released persistently they can produce chronic disease.

Keywords: Cutaneous tissues; cytokines; signaling molecules.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: Nil.

References

    1. Holman DM, Kalaaji AN. Cytokines in dermatology. J Drugs Dermatol. 2006;5:520–4. - PubMed
    1. Williams IR, Rich BE, Kupper TS. Cytokines. In: Wolff K, Goldsmith LA, Katz SI, Gilchrest BA, Paller AS, Leffel DJ, editors. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York: McGraw – Hill; 2008. pp. 115–26.
    1. Trefzer U, Hofmann M, Sterry W, Asadullah K. Cytokine and anticytokine therapy in dermatology. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2003;3:733–43. - PubMed
    1. Grunnet LG, Mandrup-Poulsen T. Cytokines and Type 1 Diabetes: A numbers game. Diabetes. 2011;60:697–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Feliciani C, Gupta AK, Saucier DN. Keratinocytes and Cytokine / growth factors. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med. 1996;7:300–18. - PubMed