"Cytokines - the Warriors of the
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| I first learned about cytokines when I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. As my disease is considered an autoimmune disease, I wanted a greater understanding how my immune system worked.
What I learned was my immune system involves a complex series of intercommunications between white blood cells that are activated by chemical messengers called cytokines. This whole process comes under the area of cell-mediated immunity. If you've ever wondered how your immune system works to fight infection, here's my explanation, which I'll try to keep simple. |
Whenever your body is faced with a foreign bacterial infection, your immune system kicks into gear, by activating certain types of white blood cells, called T-cells. These T-cells secrete small proteins called cytokines into the bloodstream, which function as chemical messengers, activating other white blood cells that begin to destroy the infection. |
They do this by connecting to receptors on the specific white blood cells they are targeted to connect with.
Your immune system is so smart, whenever the infection is destroyed; another chemical messenger is activated which stimulates a different type of T-cell, a suppressor T-cell. If it were not for these suppressor T-cells, your helper T-cells would continue trying to destroy a nonexistent infection, indefinitely. |
These T cells are originally manufactured in the bone marrow, but subsequently migrate to an organ called the thymus where they mature. They are different from other types of white blood cells, because they have a special receptor on their cell surface called a T-cell receptor. With multiple sclerosis, an unknown trigger, called an antigen, continually causes the immune system to release cytokines that activate these helper T cells. These T cells then mistakenly think that the protective covering of the nerves, the myelin sheath, is the enemy, and they began to systematically destroy it. This is why multiple sclerosis is considered an autoimmune disease, as the immune system continues to attack itself. |
But they can play a role in certain inflammatory conditions, particularly arthritis. In particular, a certain type of cytokine, called an interleukin, plays a role in the inflammatory response associated with arthritis. |
There are at least 18 different interleukins that have been discovered in the last few years. A discussion of all the different interleukins is beyond the scope of this article. |
Regarding arthritis, there have been medications that have been developed to inhibit these chemical messengers. Kineret was developed as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. It works to inhibit one of the interleukins, IL-1 by binding to its receptor. There have been other medications developed to inhibit another type of chemical messenger called TNF-alpha. Enbrel, Remicade and Humira function as TNF blockers. |
| I hope that my discussion of cytokines has been enlightening and not too complicated. They set in motion an immune system response that, sometimes helps us, but sometime doesn't, as with arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
To me, the complexities of the human body, and its intelligent design, provide concrete proof that we were created by a supreme being, thus disproving the theory of evolution. |
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