Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Isolation of Cortical Microglia with Preserved Immunophenotype and Functionality From Murine Neonates
Published on: January 30, 2014
IL-18: a key player in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration?
Ursula Felderhoff-Mueser1, Oliver I Schmidt, Andreas Oberholzer
1Department of Neonatology, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charité University Medical School, 13353 Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
Interleukin (IL)-18 is a potent inflammatory cytokine of the IL-1 family. It is synthesized as an inactive precursor (pro-IL-18), which is cleaved into its functionally active form by caspase-1. Resident cells of the CNS express IL-18 and caspase-1 constitutively, thus providing a local IL-18-dependent immune response. Recent studies have highlighted a crucial role for IL-18 in mediating neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in the CNS under pathological conditions, such as bacterial and viral infection, autoimmune demyelinating disease, and hypoxic-ischemic, hyperoxic and traumatic brain injuries. This review provides a synopsis of the current knowledge of IL-18-dependent mechanisms of action during acute neurodegeneration in immature and adult brains.
Related Concept Videos
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
EPS and iPS Cells in Disease Research
Inflammation
Inflammation: Introduction
NF-kB-dependent Signaling Pathway
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
