Hippokratia 1999, 3(3):116-122
A. Garyfallos
Abstract
Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a cytokine with antiinflammatory and immunoregulatory properties. IL-10 exerts its action through deactivation of the antigen-presenting capacity of the macrophages. It also promotes Th2 and inhibits Th 1 response of CD4+T cells; thus, IL-10 decreases the proinflammatory cytokine synthesis, like those of TNF-α and IL-Ιβ. In several animal models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as in collagen-induced arthritis, IL-10 decreased disease activity, and showed chondroprotective effects as well. In human RA, IL-10 seems to play a key inhibitory role in arthritic inflammation. However, when IL-10 was administered therapeutically in RA patients, it showed only a moderate antiinflammatory action.