Can interleukin-10 be used as a true immunoregulatory cytokine?

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a cytokine that is currently regarded as a potent ial therapy for inflammatory diseases involving T helper 1-type responses b ecause of its ability to downregulate several major functions of Th1 cells and macrophages, There are also evidence that IL-10 could be useful in cont rolling Th2-mediated inflammatory processes. However IL-10 has also immunos timulatory properties especially on B-cells and activated CD8(+) T cells, T hese pleiotropic effects may explain the discrepancy observed after IL-10 t reatment in different in vivo experimental models. We have recently shown t hat IL-10 induces the differentiation of a subset of regulatory CD4(+) T ce lls (Tr1), In different in vivo models, these cells were shown to inhibit T h1 and Th2-type inflammatory responses through the secretion of IL-10, Thes e Tr1 cells may thus be used in specific cellular therapy in order to deliv er IL-10 precisely at the site of inflammation.