An excellent article on cytokines..in layman terms | Arthritis Information

Share
 

A quick and dirty guide to cytokines
So tell me about immunology.
How long have you got?
About five minutes.
Right, we’d better make it the highlights. First off are all the ‘front line’ cells – macrophages that attack invading nasties, B cells that make antibodies and so on.
So those are the troops. Any more militaristic analogies?
Back at base are the generals, the helper T cells, which direct the battle. What a lot of people want to know is how the troops are mobilised. How do they know where to go and what to attack?
And the answer is…
Cytokines.
I knew we’d get stuck on jargon. Pray, tell me what are cytokines?
Think of them as messengers.
Like earnest looking johnnies on ludicrously cumbersome motorbikes and muddy goggles delivering orders to the front line?
Exactly. Except without the motorcycles. Or the goggles.
Get on with it. Why are the messenger johnnies so important?
Because the troops are a bit gung-ho. They have a habit of rushing in when they’re not really needed. They end up attacking the body itself.
Friendly fire?
You could say that. Now the messengers – the cytokines – can control where they attack. Roughly speaking they fall into two camps – those like TNF-alpha, interferon-gamma, IL-2 and IL-12 that unleash an attack and those such as IL-10 that confine troops to barracks.
Doves and hawks?
I suppose so. Have you been at the Biggles again?
Your five minutes is almost up...
So if you could stop the hawks gaining control when there’s no danger then you could prevent damaging responses like you see in rheumatoid arthritis. That’s what antibodies to pro-inflammatory cytokines are supposed to do.
A stick in the motorcyclist’s spokes?
In a manner of speaking.
Sugar in the petrol tank? Sabotage of the points? Tampering with the brakes…
That’s enough analogies, ed.
Hee hee... a new image in my head when I read articles concerning the fellas!  Thanks, Pin. what a great way to analyze it. I think I finally understand. LOL
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com