Association of interleukin-18 and systemic lupus erythematosus

Interleukin-18 (IL-18), belongs to the IL-1 cytokine family, has a variety of effects on dendritic cell, T cell, natural killer cell. Previous studies have identified that IL-18 was associated with the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), wherein elevated expression of IL-18 was found in the serum of patients, and IL-18 polymorphisms with susceptibility to SLE were reported, suggesting that IL-18 may be therapeutically relevant to SLE. In this article, we will discuss the role of IL-18 in the pathogenesis of and its therapeutic potential in SLE based on current understandings.