AJP - Cell Physiology, Vol 263, Issue 1 C1-16, Copyright © 1992 by American Physiological Society
Inflammatory cytokines within the central nervous system: sources, function, and mechanism of action
E. N. Benveniste
Department of Cell Biology, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
In recent years, there has been increasing evidence that soluble mediators
such as cytokines from activated T lymphocytes and macrophages are able to
modulate the growth and function of cells found within the central nervous
system (CNS), specifically macroglia and microglia cells. Furthermore,
glial cells, upon activation, can secrete immunoregulatory factors that
influence lymphoid/mononuclear cells as well as the glial cells themselves.
Thus the potential exists for bidirectional communication between lymphoid
cells and glial cells within the CNS, which in part is mediated via
cytokines. This review describes various neurological disease states in
which both immune and glial cells may contribute to inflammation and
immunologic events occurring in the CNS. The mechanisms by which glial
cells both respond to and synthesize a variety of cytokines within the CNS
and the capacity of glial cells to acquire major histocompatibility complex
antigens and function as antigen-presenting cells within the CNS are
described in detail. The implications of these functions, cytokine
secretion and antigen presentation, by glial cells are discussed with
respect to neurological diseases associated with autoimmunity and/or
inflammation.
