Cytokines

Cytokine is a substance that is made by cells of the immune system. Some cytokines can boost the immune response and others can suppress it. Cytokines can also be made in the laboratory by recombinant DNA technology and used in the treatment of various diseases, including cancer.

What are Cytokines?

The term "cytokine" is derived from a combination of two Greek words - "cyto" meaning cell and "kinos" meaning movement. Cytokines are cell signalling molecules that aid cell to cell communication in immune responses and stimulate the movement of cells towards sites of inflammation, infection and trauma.

Cytokine Nomenclature

Cytokine Effects

Inflammatory Cytokines and Depression

Cytokine Classification

Cytokine Receptors

Latest Cytokines News and Research

Gut microbes may help explain why obesity and type 2 diabetes become harder to reverse

This review describes how gut microbial messengers, including SCFAs, microbiota-modified bile acids, neuroactive metabolites, and extracellular vesicles, may shape obesity and type 2 diabetes through the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

17 Jun 2026

Cerebral organoid model offers insights into the mechanisms of Ebola virus persistence

Following infection, Ebola virus can survive unnoticed in the human body for months or even years, hiding in areas with little immune surveillance like the central nervous system.

17 Jun 2026

Preoperative radiation boosts immunotherapy response in brain metastases

A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center demonstrated that pre-operative radiation therapy for brain metastases not only targets tumor cells directly but also can activate immune pathways that can make tumors more receptive to immunotherapy.

17 Jun 2026

AI-designed drug for Parkinson's begins first human trial

Insilico Medicine ("Insilico", HKEX: 3696), a clinical-stage biotechnology company powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI), today announced it has achieved the first clinical milestone in its co-development collaboration with Hygtia Therapeutics with the completion of first-in-human dosing in the Phase I study of ISM8969.

17 Jun 2026

Reinforcing daily rhythms helps the brain recover after stroke

A new study from scientists at the University of Rochester Medicine suggests that reinforcing the body's natural daily rhythms to improve sleep could help the brain recover after a stroke, pointing to a potential new strategy to improve brain waste clearance and outcomes long after the initial injury.

15 Jun 2026

Scientists reveal how cGAS-STING fuels brain inflammation and neurodegeneration

The cGAS-STING pathway is emerging as a key driver of chronic neuroinflammation through its effects on glial activation, neuronal stress, blood-brain barrier integrity, and type I interferon signaling. The review highlights why selective, context-dependent modulation of cGAS-STING could help treat neurodegenerative diseases, while preserving its essential roles in antiviral defense and tumor surveillance.

10 Jun 2026

Three decades of progress since the discovery of senescence-associated beta-galactosidase

A new review was published in Volume 18 of Aging on May 15, 2026, titled "Blue period – features of senescence 30 years after beta-galactosidase."

5 Jun 2026

Mesenchymal drift may explain how aging cells lose their identity

Mesenchymal drift may help explain how cells lose stable identity and acquire pro-fibrotic, inflammatory mesenchymal traits during aging. The review proposes MD as a unifying framework that links multiple hallmarks of aging and highlights partial reprogramming as a potential, but still preclinical, way to counteract this process.

1 Jun 2026

Review explores complex associations between sleep apnea and lung cancer

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder characterized by intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation, which may contribute to lung cancer development and progression.

29 May 2026

Urine-based autism screening using gut microbial metabolites

Elevated gut microbe metabolites may distinguish children with autism, paving the way for a non-invasive urine test and a new ASD subtype linked to microbiome.

29 May 2026

Study uncovers a biological link between chronic oral inflammation and female fertility

Chronic oral inflammation may impair female fertility by triggering a systemic immune response that affects the ovaries.

28 May 2026

How do everyday spices help protect the heart?

A Nutrition Reviews supplement article reviewed controlled studies showing that culinary spice and herb blends may improve selected cardiometabolic risk markers, including post-meal triglycerides, insulin responses, inflammation, endothelial function, and 24-hour blood pressure. The review also highlighted exploratory evidence that spices and herbs may influence immune-cell activity, circulating phytochemical metabolites, and gut bacterial composition, while emphasizing the need for longer and more diverse studies.

27 May 2026

Tomato-soy juice curbs inflammation in obese adults

Drinking tomato-soy juice loaded with compounds shown in animal studies to promote health lowered pro-inflammatory proteins in healthy adults with obesity after four weeks, a new study found.

26 May 2026

Chronic oral inflammation may impair female fertility and egg quality

Chronic oral inflammation may impair female fertility by triggering a systemic immune response that affects the ovaries.

26 May 2026

Researchers uncover immune mechanisms behind polycystic kidney disease progression

A new review has illuminated a critical but often overlooked dimension of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD)—its immune microenvironment.

24 May 2026

Gum disease pathogen may drive Alzheimer’s through microglial ferroptosis pathway

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia, is projected to affect 152 million individuals worldwide by 2050; yet its pathogenesis remains poorly understood and effective treatments are lacking.

24 May 2026

Pim1 identified as promising therapeutic target for inflammatory arthritis treatment

The research team led by Professor Zhongyu Xie from Sun Yat-sen University revealed a new mechanism by which Pim1 regulated Th17 cell differentiation through mitochondrial metabolism.

22 May 2026

Scientists map genetic variants behind prostate cancer therapy failure

Recently, the research group led by Dr. Dechao Feng, Lecturer at University College London (UCL) and Distinguished Research Fellow at Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, published a review entitled "Intratumoral Androgens and Genetic Variants Driving Therapy Resistance in Prostate Cancer".

22 May 2026

Polymer-based immunotherapies enhance tumor targeting and immune activation

Conventional immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-PD-1/PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4 antibodies, can reinvigorate T cells but typically benefit less than 30% of patients.

21 May 2026

Cytokine-armored CAR-T cell therapy successfully attacks aggressive brain tumors in mice

Scientists at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a new cytokine-armored CAR-T cell therapy that helps the immune system better attack aggressive brain tumors in mice while reducing dangerous side effects that have long limited immune-based treatments for glioblastoma, one of the deadliest and most treatment-resistant brain cancers.

20 May 2026