1. Cytokines Provide Protection
Cytokines are proteins that are produced by white blood cells in our bodies. There are more than 150 different cytokines, including lymphokines, interferons and interleukins. The body produces these proteins when a bacterial infection is present. These cytokines are chemical messengers that send a message to the immune system, telling it that the body is in trouble. This causes the immune system to produce the chemicals it needs to fight the infection. Cytokines also regulate growth hormones, keeping them in balance so that optimal health is maintained.
2. Cytokines Help Your Body Fight Infection
Because cytokines are so effective at fighting infection, scientists decided to try to produce them in a laboratory, and they were successful. These scientists were particularly focused on HIV/AIDs, so they reproduced the conditions for HIV and then stimulated the production of cytokines. Today, cytokines such as interferon are used to treat a number of diseases, including hepatitis B and C and some forms of cancer. These cytokines have met with some success. However, the can cause some side effects, including fever, intermittent pain, and inflammation of the joints. However, these side effects usually subside in time.
3. Interleukin Is An Important Biotech Product
There are 35 types of interleukin--a cytokine that has been reproduced in a laboratory using genetic engineering. The companies that produce these cytokines are known as biotechnology, or biotech, companies. Interleukin-2, or IL-2, is used to treat many different types of cancer. There are so many versions of this drug featuring different schedules, dosing regimens and combinations with other drugs.
4. GM-CSF Makes Cancer Treatment More Tolerable
Granulocyte monocyte colony stimulating factor, more commonly known as GM-CSF, has also been manufactured using genetic engineering. It is helpful for people who have low white blood cell counts, often because they have received chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Because GM-CSF helps the body to produce more white blood cells, it often helps people recover more quickly after a chemotherapy treatment so they can finish their therapy more quickly, and it has been found to reduce the risk of infection. There are some side effects to GM-CSF, including blood clots, breathing difficulties, and fever and chills.
5. Too Much of a Good Thing Is Bad
Although cytokines play an important role in the body, they can also be a problem if levels become too high. When levels of a cytokine known as tumor necrosis factor, or TNF, become elevated it stimulates an inflammatory response, which can cause autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn's disease. Scientists have developed products known as TNF inhibitors that are used to treat these autoimmune disorders.
