Corticosteroid effects on cytokines and chemokines

Cytokines as soluble proteins or growth factors involved in cellular interactions are major contributors to allergic and immune-mediated inflammation Chemokines are chemoattractive cytokines subdivided into families based on cysteine residues. This review on corticosteroid effects on cytokines and chemokines will consider only a selected number of several of these proteins studied in our division and in other centers. Characteristics' of several major cytokines up to IL-15, chemokine targets and the effect of corticosteroids an various cells, cytokines, and chemokines are reviewed. The effect of corticosteroid inhibitors of nonspecific endothelial activation, selective activation of VCAM-1 expression, eosinophil priming and chemokine production related to allergic diseases is illustrated The effect of nasal corticosteroids on IL-1 beta, RANTES, IL-6, and IL-8 is also discussed.