[Significance of cytokines and other immunological mediators in neuroimmunological diseases]

Abstract

Investigation in neuroimmunological disorders has delineated multiple effector mechanisms that operate to produce inflammatory demyelination. There is much evidences to implicate cytokines in the pathogenesis of these disorders and the role and significance of measurement of various inflammatory mediators, including cytokines are reviewed. Cytokines, such as TNF, IL-1, and IFN-gamma are involved in the inflammatory demyelinating process by enhancing vascular permeability, modulating inflammatory cell-cell interactions and injuring the blood-brain barrier. Recent reports suggest that TNF, IL-2, IL-6, and other immunological mediators, such as sIL-2R, sTNF-R and sICAM-1, reflect the disease activity and can serve as a marker of acute inflammation in several neuroimmunological diseases. A better understanding of these mediators, operating on inflammatory demyelination, may help to clarify the pathogenesis of neuroimmunological diseases and to devise more efficacious therapy.