Allergic contact dermatitis beyond IL-1β role of additional family members

Contact dermatitis is one of the most frequent pathological manifestations of the skin and plays a central role in clinical dermatology. The IL-1 family consists a large group of cytokines, which currently contains 11 members with different pro- and anti-inflammatory properties. Among the more pro-inflammatory-acting cytokines from the IL-1 family, IL-1β, IL-18, IL-33 and IL-36 have been shown to be upregulated in different inflammatory mouse experimental models or skin diseases. The article by Mattii et al. represents a thorough analysis of the expression of IL-1 family members including IL-33 in skin samples from patients with allergic contact dermatitis. Although a lot of research is performed in this area, data from human samples are rather scarce. Therefore, Mattii et al. support the development of novel therapeutic concepts, which might include the use of antagonistic molecules targeting the IL-1 family network.