プロバイオティクスと健康に関するジャーナル
オープンアクセス

概要

Interleukin-18 and Atherosclerosis: Mediator or Biomarker

Kunal Mahajan

Atherosclerosis, a progressive disorder of the vessel walls with the formation of plaques throughout the arterial system, is an essential pathological process in the development of various Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs). Inflammation has been demonstrated to play an inevitable role in all the stages of atherosclerosis though its pathogenesis is complicated and still remains enigmatic. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine, which belongs to the Interleukin-1 (IL-1) family. This pro-inflammatory cytokine is among the more recently recognized cytokines to be involved in the development of various cardiovascular diseases and their related manifestations. At one end, studies indicate that IL-18 is a key player that orchestrates the inflammatory cascade associated with the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, whereas others showed circulating levels of IL-18 to be a prognostic marker. Present article summarizes the scientific rationale which highlights the signatures of interleukin-18 as a mediator in the pathogenesis as well as a diagnostic marker.