IL-10
IL-10 (interleukin-10) is the principal anti-inflammatory cytokine: its job is to limit immune activation and tissue damage once a response has done its work.
Function
IL-10 is produced by regulatory T cells, macrophages, and other immune cells after activation. It binds the IL-10 receptor on macrophages and dendritic cells and suppresses their production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF, IL-6, IL-12), their antigen-presentation capacity, and their costimulatory molecule expression — a broad dampening of the innate immune response. The signal runs through JAK1–STAT3, the same transcription factor pro-inflammatory cytokines activate, with opposite transcriptional output because of the target genes available in each cell type.
In cancer
Tumors and tumor-associated macrophages exploit IL-10’s brake. IL-10-rich tumor microenvironments suppress cytotoxic T-cell and NK-cell function, reducing the immune pressure on the tumor — one route of the immune escape that immunoediting selects for. IL-10 overexpression correlates with poor prognosis in several cancers. Therapeutically the cytokine cuts both ways: pegilodecakin (PEG-IL-10) was tested for its ability to reprogram exhausted T cells, while IL-10 blockade is being studied to release the brake on antitumor immunity.
Notes
- Human gene symbol: IL10; UniProt P22301; 178 amino acids; IL-10 cytokine family.