Inductive effects of immunological cytokines in the skin

Abstract

There is little doubt that cytokines play a major role in cell-mediated immunity and in inflammation. Cytokines within the skin can provide stimuli that can mobilize, attract, and activate a variety of circulating cells that participate in local inflammation. Perhaps most importantly, epidermal cytokines can amplify the effect of interactions between lymphocytes and specific antigens to generate immunologic reactivity. On the basis of in vitro studies, the number of activities is extremely large. It is clear that skin and particularly epidermis can play an active role in local and inflammatory immune events.