STUDY OBJECTIVES Experimental studies on asthma have indicated that interleukin (IL)-13 induces airway hyperreactivity (AHR). However, it remains unproven that IL-13 is responsible for AHR in asthmatic patients. Eosinophilic bronchitis (EB) shows normal airway responsiveness despite eosinophilic airway inflammation of severity similar to that of asthma. This study evaluated the role of IL-13 in...

IL-13 is known to suppress the production of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF. Whether IL-13 also modulates the biologic effects of TNF is not known. In the present report we examined the effect of IL-13 on TNF-induced activation of nuclear transcription factors NF-kappa B and activation protein-1 (AP-1) and apoptosis. Pretreatment of cells with IL-13 blocked TNF-induced NF-kappa B activation...

INTRODUCTION Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic skin inflammatory disease in which Th2-derived cytokines play an essential role. Aim of the study was to assess interleukin 4, 10 and 13 (IL-4, IL-10 and IL-13) serum concentrations in AD patients and to correlate the values with the occurrence of genotypes of selected polymorphisms in genes encoding these cytokines. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sevent...

Interleukin-4, which has been contemplated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and/or osteoarthritis because of its anticatabolic properties, has also been shown to modulate apoptosis. Because inadequate apoptosis is thought to contribute to synovial hyperplasia, we have investigated the ability of IL-4 and other Th2 cytokines to protect human synovial cells from apoptosis. Human synovioc...

IL-8 and related Glu-Leu-Arg (ELR+) CXC chemokines are potent chemoattractants for neutrophils but not for monocytes. IL-13 and IL-4 strongly increased CXCR1 and CXCR2 chemokine receptor expression in human monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. The effect was receptor- and cell type-selective, in that CCRs were not increased and no augmentation was seen in neutrophils. The effect was rap...

Background: IL-4 is a cytokine that induces differentiation of naive helper T cells into Th2 cells. Once activated by IL-4, Th2 cells subsequently produce additional IL-4. Objective: To examine the effect of IL-4 on IL-17 production and its effect in Collagen- Induced Arthritis (CIA) mice. Method: In this study, a chicken collagen-II-induced experimental arthritis (CIA) model was used in DBA/1 ...

Immune responses elicited by allergic reactions and parasitic worm infections are characterised by the induction of T helper 2 (Th2) cells. These cells secrete cytokines such as interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5 and IL-13, which induce the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE) and eosinophils [1,2]. Previous studies using gastrointestinal nematodes to elucidate the role of Th2-cell-mediated immune resp...

Chlamydiae are intracellular bacteria that commonly cause infections of the respiratory and genital tracts, which are major clinical problems. Infections are also linked to the aetiology of diseases such as asthma, emphysema and heart disease. The clinical management of infection is problematic and antibiotic resistance is emerging. Increased understanding of immune processes that are involved ...

BACKGROUND Activation of innate immunity, especially infiltration of monocytes, is critical for proper wound healing and scar formation after myocardial infarction (MI). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that interleukin-13 (IL-13), which influences the differentiation of monocytes/macrophages and has profibrotic properties, modulates wound healing and remodeling after MI. METHODS AND RESUL...

PURPOSE Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are acute-onset mucocutaneous diseases induced by infectious agents or inciting drugs. The authors previously reported an association between SJS/TEN and IL-4R gene polymorphism that is essential for IL-4 and IL-13 signaling. To examine IL-4 and IL-13 gene polymorphisms and the combination of these polymorphisms with IL...