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      Multiple Sclerosis: The Role of Cytokines in Pathogenesis and in Therapies

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          Abstract

          Multiple sclerosis, the clinical features and pathological correlate for which were first described by Charcot, is a chronic neuroinflammatory disease with unknown etiology and variable clinical evolution. Although neuroinflammation is a descriptive denominator in multiple sclerosis based on histopathological observations, namely the penetration of leukocytes into the central nervous system, the clinical symptoms of relapses, remissions and progressive paralysis are the result of losses of myelin and neurons. In the absence of etiological factors as targets for prevention and therapy, the definition of molecular mechanisms that form the basis of inflammation, demyelination and toxicity for neurons have led to a number of treatments that slow down disease progression in specific patient cohorts, but that do not cure the disease. Current therapies are directed to block the immune processes, both innate and adaptive, that are associated with multiple sclerosis. In this review, we analyze the role of cytokines in the multiple sclerosis pathogenesis and current/future use of them in treatments of multiple sclerosis.

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          Most cited references131

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          A distinct lineage of CD4 T cells regulates tissue inflammation by producing interleukin 17.

          Interleukin 17 (IL-17) has been linked to autoimmune diseases, although its regulation and function have remained unclear. Here we have evaluated in vitro and in vivo the requirements for the differentiation of naive CD4 T cells into effector T helper cells that produce IL-17. This process required the costimulatory molecules CD28 and ICOS but was independent of the cytokines and transcription factors required for T helper type 1 or type 2 differentiation. Furthermore, both IL-4 and interferon-gamma negatively regulated T helper cell production of IL-17 in the effector phase. In vivo, antibody to IL-17 inhibited chemokine expression in the brain during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, whereas overexpression of IL-17 in lung epithelium caused chemokine production and leukocyte infiltration. Thus, IL-17 expression characterizes a unique T helper lineage that regulates tissue inflammation.
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            Lymphocyte egress from thymus and peripheral lymphoid organs is dependent on S1P receptor 1.

            Adaptive immunity depends on T-cell exit from the thymus and T and B cells travelling between secondary lymphoid organs to survey for antigens. After activation in lymphoid organs, T cells must again return to circulation to reach sites of infection; however, the mechanisms regulating lymphoid organ exit are unknown. An immunosuppressant drug, FTY720, inhibits lymphocyte emigration from lymphoid organs, and phosphorylated FTY720 binds and activates four of the five known sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors. However, the role of S1P receptors in normal immune cell trafficking is unclear. Here we show that in mice whose haematopoietic cells lack a single S1P receptor (S1P1; also known as Edg1) there are no T cells in the periphery because mature T cells are unable to exit the thymus. Although B cells are present in peripheral lymphoid organs, they are severely deficient in blood and lymph. Adoptive cell transfer experiments establish an intrinsic requirement for S1P1 in T and B cells for lymphoid organ egress. Furthermore, S1P1-dependent chemotactic responsiveness is strongly upregulated in T-cell development before exit from the thymus, whereas S1P1 is downregulated during peripheral lymphocyte activation, and this is associated with retention in lymphoid organs. We find that FTY720 treatment downregulates S1P1, creating a temporary pharmacological S1P1-null state in lymphocytes, providing an explanation for the mechanism of FTY720-induced lymphocyte sequestration. These findings establish that S1P1 is essential for lymphocyte recirculation and that it regulates egress from both thymus and peripheral lymphoid organs.
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              Interleukin-23 rather than interleukin-12 is the critical cytokine for autoimmune inflammation of the brain.

              Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric molecule composed of p35 and p40 subunits. Analyses in vitro have defined IL-12 as an important factor for the differentiation of naive T cells into T-helper type 1 CD4+ lymphocytes secreting interferon-gamma (refs 1, 2). Similarly, numerous studies have concluded that IL-12 is essential for T-cell-dependent immune and inflammatory responses in vivo, primarily through the use of IL-12 p40 gene-targeted mice and neutralizing antibodies against p40. The cytokine IL-23, which comprises the p40 subunit of IL-12 but a different p19 subunit, is produced predominantly by macrophages and dendritic cells, and shows activity on memory T cells. Evidence from studies of IL-23 receptor expression and IL-23 overexpression in transgenic mice suggest, however, that IL-23 may also affect macrophage function directly. Here we show, by using gene-targeted mice lacking only IL-23 and cytokine replacement studies, that the perceived central role for IL-12 in autoimmune inflammation, specifically in the brain, has been misinterpreted and that IL-23, and not IL-12, is the critical factor in this response. In addition, we show that IL-23, unlike IL-12, acts more broadly as an end-stage effector cytokine through direct actions on macrophages.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Int J Mol Sci
                Int J Mol Sci
                ijms
                International Journal of Molecular Sciences
                Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)
                1422-0067
                2012
                19 October 2012
                : 13
                : 10
                : 13438-13460
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, Florence 50134, Italy; E-Mail: delios@ 123456unifi.it
                [2 ]Department of Biomedicine, Patologia Medica Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Largo Brambilla 3, Firenze 20134, Italy; E-Mail: priscod@ 123456aou-careggi.toscana.it
                [3 ]Center of Oncologic Minimally Invasive Surgery, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, Florence 50134, Italy
                [4 ]Department of Medical and Surgical Critical Care, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, Florence 50134, Italy
                Author notes
                [* ]Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: aamedei@ 123456unifi.it ; Tel./Fax: +39-055-4271495.
                Article
                ijms-13-13438
                10.3390/ijms131013438
                3497335
                23202961
                be07e9c3-9889-42e4-bffc-4d2d71b42bda
                © 2012 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.

                This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0).

                History
                : 02 August 2012
                : 01 October 2012
                : 11 October 2012
                Categories
                Review

                Molecular biology
                t helper cells (th),interferons (ifns),multiple sclerosis,interleukin-17 (il-17),cytokines

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