Augmented Pain and Inflammation with Obesity: A Role for the Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Visfatin

The antiangiogenic role of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-31

Pro-inflammatory cytokines in the tumor microenvironment are known for their ability to either inhibit or promote cancer progression. Here we evaluated the role of Interleukin-31 (IL31), a protein belonging to the pro-inflammatory IL-6 cytokine family which has been characterized in autoimmune disease, in tumorigenesis. We show that IL31 and its receptor, IL31RA, are highly expressed in various...

Unbalanced Pro-Inflammatory and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines Ratio and Endometriosis: A Contributive Pathogenic Role?

Visfatin: the link between inflammation and childhood obesity.

L ow-grade inflammation that coexists with obesity has mainly been studied in adults, whereas data in children are limited. Visfatin is a newly discovered adipokine. It is expressed in visceral adi-pose tissue and has been shown to exert insulin-mimetic effects (1). Although some studies have addressed its relation to obesity, visfatin's biological roles are largely unknown. Besides expression ...

Role of adiponectin and PBEF/visfatin as regulators of inflammation: involvement in obesity-associated diseases.

Obesity and obesity-related disorders play an important role in clinical medicine. Adipose tissue, with its soluble mediators called adipocytokines, has emerged as a major endocrine organ. These adipocytokines comprise many mediators such as adiponectin, PBEF (pre-B-cell-enhancing factor)/visfatin, leptin, resistin, retinol-binding protein-4 and others. They play major roles in key aspects of m...

ADAM17 orchestrates pro- and anti- inflammatory cytokine activities in inflammation and cancer

Cytokine receptors exist in membrane bound and soluble form. While most soluble receptors are antagonists, some soluble receptors are agonists like soluble receptors of the gp130 cytokine family. In vivo, the IL-6/soluble IL-6R complex stimulates several types of target cells not stimulated by IL-6 alone, since they do not express the membrane bound IL-6R. This process has been named trans-sign...