How IL-4 suppresses TNF and IL-1 production by activated human monocytes and macrophages

慢性炎症性疾病是一个巨大的和日益严重的健康问题。人们一直在寻找更好、更有针对性的治疗方法。我们一直在研究一种叫做白细胞介素-4的细胞因子，它可以抑制血细胞产生许多引发和维持炎症的炎症介质。随着人们认识到白细胞介素-4对血细胞具有这种抗炎活性，人们相当乐观地认为，这种分子不仅可能是炎症的天然调节剂，而且还可能用于免疫治疗。然而，我们不知道这种分子如何下调炎性血细胞。如果要将其用于治疗炎症性疾病的人类基因疗法，则有必要了解这一点。在抗炎分子发挥作用之前，细胞必须被激活。将研究来自不同炎症部位的不同细胞类型，以更好地研究不同的激活途径。白细胞介素-4如何调节这些途径将被研究。一旦确定，基于白细胞介素-4的性质的治疗可以被设计优化。

Chronic inflammatory diseases are an enormous and growing health problem. There is a continuing search for improved and more targeted treatments. We have been studying a cytokine called interleukin-4 which can suppress the production by blood cells of many of the inflammatory mediators that initiate and maintain inflammation. With the recognition that interleukin-4 has this anti-inflammatory activity on blood cells, there was considerable optimism that this molecule may not only be a natural regulator of inflammation but also used in immunotherapy. However we do not know how this molecule downregulates inflammatory blood cells. It will be necessary to know this if it is to be used in human gene therapy for treatment of inflammatory diseases. Cells must be activated before a molecule which is anti-inflammatory can be effective. Different cell types from different inflammatory sites will be studied to better characterise different activation pathways. How interleukin-4 regulates these pathways will be studied. Once identified, treatments based on the properties of interleukin-4 may be designed-optimised.