Cyto-whats?
Cytokines (rhymes with valentines)

Cytokines are proteins that function as chemical messengers in your immune system. There are several kinds of cytokines
Chemokines
  • Chemokines direct immune cells toward places in your body where they can fight infection.
  • Interferons signal cells to put up their defenses against viruses invading your body. In this way, interferons “interfere” in the process that allows viruses to replicate, or make more viruses once they’ve invaded a healthy cell.
  • Interleukins get their name from “inter” which means between and “leukocyte,” which is another name for a white blood cell. Originally, scientists thought that leukocytes alone released interleukins and only relayed messages to other leukocytes. But now we know that cells other than leukocytes release these proteins. Also, interleukins can relay messages between cells that aren’t leukocytes.

TNF helps regulate inflammation in your body. TNF also signals to immune cells that kill tumor cells.

  • CSF signals hematopoietic stem cells to develop into specific cell types. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are precursor cells that give rise to all blood cell types: white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. These changes take place during a process called hematopoiesis. For example, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) signals an HSC to become a white blood cell called a neutrophil. Neutrophils help fight infection.

Produced by monocytes, a type of white blood cell.

Cell activation
  • Cytokines tell cells where to go and what to do. For example, cytokines can direct immune cells toward an infection site so the cells can fight germs there. They can heighten or lessen the processes associated with inflammation.
  • Cytokines can tell immature cells to develop into a specific type of cell. For example, cytokines can tell an immature cell to mature into a white blood cell capable of fighting infection.
  • Cytokines can tell a cell to make more cells just like it. For example, cytokines can tell a white blood cell to make more white blood cells to fight infection.

Cytokines can also signal your body’s cells to release more cytokines to increase your body’s inflammatory response.

Cytokines may signal cells close to the cell that released them, or they can travel great distances to relay their message.

  • Autocrine signaling: Cytokines can bind to receptors on the same cell that released it.
  • Paracrine signaling: Cytokines can bind to receptors on nearby cells.
  • Endocrine signaling: Cytokines can bind to receptors on cells located far away from the cell that released the cytokines.

Cells with cytokine receptors are located throughout your body. In fact, most of your body’s organs contain cells with cytokine receptors. Having cells with cytokine receptors throughout your body allows inflammation to occur in widespread locations.

When healthy

When your body’s immune response is working correctly, pro-inflammatory cytokines trigger inflammation that helps fight threats and repair tissue. It also causes you to favor the wounded area until it heals. Then anti-inflammatory cytokines decrease or stop your body’s inflammatory response when you no longer need it.

If your immune system releases too many cytokines — in response to an infection or treatments like immunotherapy — you may develop cytokine release syndrome (CRS), also called a cytokine storm. You may develop various symptoms that affect multiple body systems. CRS can be life-threatening without treatment. Too many cytokines can create a heightened inflammatory response. Too much inflammation can damage tissue and lead to diseases and conditions, including:

  • Autoimmune diseases: With autoimmune diseases, your body’s immune cells mistakenly attack healthy cells.
  • Metabolic disorders: Metabolic disorders involve problems with metabolism, the process that allows your body to transform food into energy and remove waste from your body.
  • Cancer.
  • Sepsis: With sepsis, your body’s inflammatory response is so extreme that you experience reduced blood flow to your major organs. Sepsis can be fatal without emergency medical treatment.

 

The cytokine storm is one thing that made Covid19 so lethal.

After the wound or infection has healed the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines should cause the discomfort in the affected area to lessen. But sometimes that does not happen and the pain can persist when it is no longer needed. Return to the newsletter to see ways to mitigate this condition.

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