INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CONGRESS -II
CLASSIFICATION AND GENERAL PROPERTIES OF CYTOKINES
Cytokines are relatively low molecular weight proteins secreted by cells in response to various stimuli and serve as key mediators of the host response to various infections, inflammatory and immunological reactions. Cohen was the first to define these cellular proteins as ‘cytokines’ in 1974. Many cytokines were discovered in the 1980s; the first cytokines (IFN-α, IL-1, IL-2 and TNF-α) were molecularly cloned and produced against specific antibodies. Cytokines, which function as mediators of immune and inflammatory reactions, are molecules secreted by many different cells in the body and act as extracellular signals between cells. The presence of carbohydrate and disulfide bridges in their structures makes them both stable and soluble and resistant to degradation.Cytokines, which are generally classified according to their molecular structure, functional similarity, mode of action and role in immunity, consist of superfamilies. Cytokines affect almost every biological process, including embryonic development, disease pathogenesis, nonspecific response to infection, antigen-specific response, changes in cognitive functions and progression of degenerative processes of aging, stem cell differentiation, vaccine efficacy and allograft rejection. Cytokines, which play an important role in inflammatory reactions by activating and regulating immune system cells, are currently used clinically as modifiers of biological responses for the treatment of various disorders. In this presentation, the classification and general properties of cytokines, which have recently become one of the most important research topics of scientists in many fields, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, due to their effects on biological activities, will be discussed.
