REVIEWS   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2001 October;136(5):351-70

Copyright © 2001 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Regulatory functions of IL-10 in the cutaneous immune system: a lesson to learn from experimental IL-10 therapy of inflammatory skin disease

Reich K.

From the Department of Dermatology Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany

New insight into the role of inflammatory cells, cytokines, adhesion molecules, and signaling pathways has substantially increased our understanding of the cutaneous immune system. This process has also formed the basis for the development of new therapeutic strategies in chronic inflammatory, autoimmune and malignant skin diseases. This review focuses on the regulatory role of interleukin-10 in the skin immune system, its beneficial effects in maintaining cutaneous immune homeostasis, as well as the pathophysiological importance of abnormal IL-10 expression in cutaneous disorders. It will also summarize recent data on the clinical and immunologic effects of IL-10 therapy in psoriasis, and discuss the implications of these findings in light of the future development of immuno- modulatory agents for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases.