Table 2.
Airway smooth muscle (ASM) cell-derived inflammatory cytokines, their target cells and effects
| Cytokine | Target | Effect | Reference |
| IL-1 | ASM | IL-6, IL-11, LIF, GM-CSF, MCP, eotaxin, PDGF, PGE secretion↑ | [11,13,21,26,31,32] |
| Eosinophil | Recruitment | ||
| IL-2 | T cell | Proliferation↑ | [9] |
| Eosinophil | Recruitment | ||
| IL-5 | Eosinophil, mast cell, T cells | Recruitment, activation↑, survival↑ | [7,9] |
| ASM | Responsiveness↑ | ||
| IL-6 | mθ | Proliferation↓ | [9] |
| Goblet cell | Proliferation↑, mucus secretion↑ | ||
| B cell | Differentiation to plasma cell | ||
| Cytotoxic T cell | Differentiation | ||
| Fibroblast | Activation | ||
| IL-11 | ASM | Proliferation↑ | [81,82] |
| mθ, monocyte | Secretion↓ TIMP-1 | ||
| IL-12 | T cell | Proliferation↑ | [9] |
| IFN-γ | Th2 cells | Proliferation↓ | [9,62] |
| Th0 cells | → Th1 | ||
| B cells | IL-4-driven immunoglobulin isotype switching to IgE synthesis↓, proliferation↓ | ||
| Eosinophil, mast cell | MCP, PGE secretion↑ | ||
| ASM | MHC II expression | ||
| Activation, secretion↑ | |||
| mθ | ICAM-1↑ | ||
| LIF | Monocytes | IL-8 secretion↑ | [83,84] |
| Neurons | Phenotype regulation, tachykinin release↑ | ||
| mθ | Differentiation | ||
↑, Increase; ↓, decrease; →, unchanged. GM-CSF, Granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor; ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1; IFN, interferon; IL, Interleukin; LIF, leukaemia inhibitory factor; MCP, monocyte chemotactic protein; MHC, major histocompatibility complex; mθ, macrophage; PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; PGE, prostaglandin E; Th, T helper cells; TIMP-1, tissue inhibitor metalloprotease.