Cytokines: Roles and Therapeutic Implications

Cytokines are commonly referred to as the 'language of intercellular interaction' since they send signals and commands to the cells to perform certain functions. In this compilation, the authors discuss how cytokines have demonstrated different patterns of production and interaction with other cytokines; therefore, cytokines can be considered as diagnostical markers and possible targets for therapeutic measures. The authors illuminate the role of cytokines in different physiological circumstances affecting the onset, development and resolution of inflammation associated with inflammatory bowel disease. The administration of cytokines as therapeutics has proven potential in the treatment of cancer and infectious and non-infectious disease. The authors discuss cytokine profiles and their signaling in the autoimmune disease Guillain-Barre syndrome, and the potential of using this specific information for developing new therapeutic strategies. The concluding study focuses on malignant breast cancer, the most common cancer in women worldwide. In recent decades, many advances have occurred in understanding the role of cytokines in this cancer, with several studies on new diagnostic and prognostic markers and their applications as a target in treatment.