AKN / Humans / Molecules /
What is a cytokine?
A cytokine is a type of small signaling molecule that allows the cells to talk to each other. (1)
What do cytokines do?
crucial for healthy immune system function (1)
cytokines radioate out from cells “kind of like a Wi-Fi signal’. (1)
Cytokines bind to specific receptors on both immune cells and non-immune cells, and may signal the cell to adjust how it grows or behaves. (1)
a cytokine may elicit inflammation (1)
Cytokines help inflame tissue by directing the cell walls of blood vessels to become more porous by reducing cell-to-cell contact. (1)
cytokines can direct brain cells to release chemicals that tell the body that a person is sick, prompting the person to rest, and avoid activities that could further expose the person to pathogens. (1)
help the body to fing off and kill infections (1)
What produces cytokines?
Cytokines are produced by many different immune cells, such as neutrophils, mast cells, macrophages, B-cells, and T-cells. (1)
While cytokines typically come from immune cells, they can also come from non-immune cells. (1)
Endothelial cells, epithelial cells, and other tissue can also send cytokines around the body. (1)
Cytokine production mainly occurs when the body is infected by a pathogen, cytokine-induced inflammatory responses also happen when tissues are physically damaged, such as if a person tripped and cut their knee on a sidewalk. (1)
What are types of cytokines?
chemokines (2)
interferons (2)
interleukins (2)
tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (2)
colony-stimulating factors (CSF) (2)
lymphokines (2)
monokines (2)
Can the body have an excess of cytokines?
Too many cytokines can have a negative effect and result in a ‘cytokine storm’. (1)
Resources
1. https://www.livescience.com/what-are-cytokines.html
2. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24585-cytokines
