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Updated: Sep 25, 2025

Accurate and Simple Measurement of the Pro-inflammatory Cytokine IL-1β using a Whole Blood Stimulation Assay
Published on: March 1, 2011
What Is IL-1 for? The Functions of Interleukin-1 Across Evolution
Diana Boraschi1,2,3
1Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), Shenzhen, China.
Abstract:
Interleukin-1 is a cytokine with potent inflammatory and immune-amplifying effects, mainly produced by macrophages during defensive reactions. In mammals, IL-1 is a superfamily of eleven structurally similar proteins, all involved in inflammation or its control, which mainly act through binding to specific receptors on the plasma membrane of target cells. IL-1 receptors are also a family of ten structurally similar transmembrane proteins that assemble in heterocomplexes. In addition to their innate immune/inflammatory effects, the physiological role of IL-1 family cytokines seems to be linked to the development of adaptive immunity in vertebrates. We will discuss why IL-1 developed in vertebrates and what is its physiological role, as a basis for understanding when and how it can be involved in the initiation and establishment of pathologies.
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