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Characterization of Immune Cells and Proinflammatory Mediators in the Pulmonary Environment
Published on: June 24, 2020
An Insight into the Role of IL-10 and Foamy Macrophages in Infectious Diseases
Katherin Steffy1, Asma Ahmed1,2, Shruti Srivastava1,3
1Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, BRIC-Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Uppal, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Abstract:
Dysregulation of lipid homeostasis causes the deposition of lipids in the form of tiny droplets within foamy macrophages (FMs). In FMs, host-derived lipids aid in survival of various intracellular pathogens leading to sustained infection. In several infectious diseases, the transformation of macrophages into a foamy phenotype is linked to the presence of high IL-10, a potent immune-modulatory cytokine. This review aims to understand the role of IL-10 in the signaling events that are crucial in generation of FMs and highlights how various intracellular pathogens targets the IL-10-FM axis for successful establishment of infections. The review also briefly discusses how the IL-10-FM axis can be a target for developing novel therapeutic strategies to prevent intracellular infections.
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