Cytokines and inflammatory mediators

Cytokines and inflammatory mediators represent a vast and heterogeneous group of endogenous signaling molecules that coordinate the body's response to infection, tissue injury, and immunological challenges (StatPearls, 2023). This broad category encompasses proteins such as interleukins (IL), interferons (IFN), and tumor necrosis factors (TNF), as well as non-protein mediators like prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and histamine (NCBI, 2021). These molecules function by binding to specific high-affinity cell-surface receptors, initiating complex intracellular signaling cascades—most notably the JAK-STAT pathway—that regulate gene expression, cell differentiation, and immune activation (Nature Reviews Immunology, 2020). Dysregulation or chronic overproduction of these mediators is a central driver in the pathogenesis of numerous conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and the life-threatening cytokine storm observed in severe viral infections (PubMed, 2022). Consequently, they are primary therapeutic targets; pharmacological intervention typically involves biologics that neutralize specific cytokines or small molecules that inhibit the enzymes and kinases responsible for their production or signaling (NIH, 2023).

Other names

Pro-inflammatory cytokinesInflammatory signaling moleculesImmune mediatorsInflammatory cytokines

Drugs targeting this broad class act through several mechanisms: neutralization of circulating ligands using monoclonal antibodies or decoy receptors; competitive antagonism of cell-surface receptors; inhibition of biosynthetic enzymes such as cyclooxygenase (COX) or lipoxygenase; and inhibition of downstream intracellular signaling pathways like the JAK-STAT or NF-kappaB cascades (StatPearls, 2023; PubMed, 2022).