Interleukin-4 as a therapeutic target

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is a pleiotropic cytokine mainly known for its role in type 2 immunity. Therapies antagoniz-ing or blocking IL-4 activity have been developed to counteract diseases such as atopic dermatitis and asthma. In contrast, other disorders experimentally benefit from IL-4-related effects and IL-4 recently demonstrated beneficial activity in experimental stroke, spinal cord injury and the animal model of multiple sclerosis. To exploit IL-4-related activity for therapeutic concepts, current experimental efforts include modifying the pathway without inducing type 2 immune response and targeting of the cytokine to specific tissues. Here, we review different activities of IL-4 as well as therapeutic strategies. (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Inc.

Automated summary

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is a pleiotropic cytokine known for its role in type 2 immunity. Therapies targeting IL-4 have been developed for diseases like atopic dermatitis and asthma. However, IL-4 has also shown beneficial effects in experimental stroke, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis. Efforts are being made to modify the IL-4 pathway and target it to specific tissues for therapeutic purposes. This review discusses the different activities of IL-4 and potential therapeutic strategies.