MRL lpr/lpr mice spontaneously develop a severe autoimmune lupus syndrome characterized by strong autoantibody production and massive lymphoproliferation, in which IFN-gamma plays a major pathogenic effect. The role of the IFN-gamma-inducing cytokine IL-18 in the autoimmune syndrome of lpr/lpr mice has been investigated. In response to IL-18, lymph node cells of lpr/lpr mice produce significant...

The metabolic syndrome is thought to be associated with a chronic low-grade inflammation, and a growing body of evidence suggests that interleukin-18 (IL-18) might be closely related to the metabolic syndrome and its consequences. Circulating levels of IL-18 have been reported to be elevated in subjects with the metabolic syndrome, to be closely associated with the components of the syndrome, t...

Based on reporting in the last several years, an impressive but dismal list of cytotoxic chemotherapies that fail to prolong the median overall survival of patients with glioblastoma has prompted the development of treatment protocols designed to interfere with growth-facilitating signaling systems by using non-cytotoxic, non-oncology drugs. Recent recognition of the pro-mobility stimulus, inte...

Autoimmune disease in Fas-deficient MRL-Faslpr mice is dependent on infiltrating autoreactive leukocytes and autoantibodies, and IFN-gamma plays an important role in the pathogenesis. As IL-18 is capable of inducing IFN-gamma production in T cells, we hypothesized that signaling through IL-18R is involved in the pathogenesis. To investigate the impact of IL-18 in this autoimmune disease, we gen...

Background: The protective effect of the chloroform extract of Cyperus rotundus (CHCR) is attributed to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Cytokines, important regulators of inflammation and repair, play a key role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Targeting these cytokines can effectively ameliorate the symptoms of IBD. The aim of the present study was to ...

Interleukin (IL)-18 produced primarily by mononuclear phagocytes synergizes with IL-12 for interferon-gamma production from T, B and natural killer cells. It has been also demonstrated that, in Plasmodium falciparum malaria, IL-18 could have an immunoregulatory function. The aim of this study was to detect the plasma levels of IL-12 and IL-18, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, in 105 ...

Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinases (IRAKs) are key components in the signal transduction pathways utilized by interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R), interleukin-18 receptor (IL-18R), and Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Out of four members in the mammalian IRAK family, IRAK-4 is considered to be the "master IRAK", the only family member indispensable for IL-1R/TLR signaling. In humans, mutations res...