Corticosteroid effects on cytokines and chemokines

Cytokines as soluble proteins or growth factors involved in cellular intera ctions are major contributors to allergic and immune-mediated inflammation Chemokines are chemoattractive cytokines subdivided into families based on cysteine residues. This review on corticosteroid effects on cytokines and c hemokines will consider only a selected number of several of these proteins studied in our division and in other centers. Characteristics' of several major cytokines up to IL-15, chemokine targets and the effect of corticoste roids an various cells, cytokines, and chemokines are reviewed. The effect of corticosteroid inhibitors of nonspecific endothelial activation, selecti ve activation of VCAM-1 expression, eosinophil priming and chemokine produc tion related to allergic diseases is illustrated The effect of nasal cortic osteroids on IL-1 beta, RANTES, IL-6, and IL-8 is also discussed.