Interleukin-22: a potential therapeutic target in atherosclerosis.

Jin-Wen Luo, Yuan Hu, Jian Liu, Huan Yang, Peng Huang

Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) 2021 Aug 13

filter terms:

Atherosclerosis is recognized as a chronic immuno-inflammatory disease that is characterized by the accumulation of immune cells and lipids in the vascular wall. In this review, we focus on the latest advance regarding the regulation and signaling pathways of IL-22 and highlight its impacts on atherosclerosis. IL-22, an important member of the IL-10 family of cytokines, is released by cells of the adaptive and innate immune system and plays a key role in the development of inflammatory diseases. The binding of IL-22 to its receptor complex can trigger a diverse array of downstream signaling pathways, in particular the JAK/STAT, to induce the expression of chemokines and proinflammatory cytokines. Recently, numerous studies suggest that IL-22 is involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis by regulation of VSMC proliferation and migration, angiogenesis, inflammatory response, hypertension, and cholesterol metabolism. IL-22 promotes the development of atherosclerosis by multiple mechanisms, which may be a promising therapeutic target in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. © 2021. The Author(s).

Citation

Jin-Wen Luo, Yuan Hu, Jian Liu, Huan Yang, Peng Huang. Interleukin-22: a potential therapeutic target in atherosclerosis. Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.). 2021 Aug 13;27(1):88