Cytokines neurological disorders

TNF is a pleiotropic cytokine exerting a wide range of cellular responses, that affect biological processes such as lipid metabolism, coagulation, and insulin resistance and the function of endothelial cells. As a major proinflammatory cytokine TNF is also involved in progression of diseases like cancer, Alzheimer, Diabetes type II, cardiovascular, pulmonary or neurological disorders, and many autoimmune diseases. Blocking the action of TNF clearly reduces its inflammatory potential on various autoimmune disorders like Crohn s disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and psoriasis. 

Two cytokines, TNFa and IFNy, are involved in the progression of neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis and AIDS dementia complex, with an emphasis on cytokine effects on glial ceUs. ... 

MS is an inflammatory demyelinating autoimmune disease affecting the CNS. In MS, the immune system attacks the myelin sheath of nerve cell fibers in the brain and spinal cord. MS is predominantly a T-lymphocyte mediated disorder, and cytokines may therefore have a key role in the pathogenesis of the disease. MS is the only neurological disorder where therapeutic manipulation of the cytokine system influences development of the disease (Adibhatla and Hatcher,... 

Ching-Hsiang L, Chiao-Wen H, Nan-Fu C, Wen-Sheng L, Ya-Fen H, Wen-Tung W (2012) In vivo effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on interleukin-6 cytokine levels in patients with neurological disorders. Indian J Pharmacol 44(1) 118-121. doi 10.4103/0253-7613.91881... 

In 2004 Okrm and colleagues studied the role of cytokines and growth hormone in the regulation of sleep and narcolepsy. Collectively, proinflammatory cytokines and human growth hormone (HGH), were found to be possibly involved in the development of or the exacerbation of narcolepsy (a disabling neurological sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and abnormal sleep manifestations). As the role of the immune system in sleep becomes clearer, a better interpretation will be available to assess why narcoleptics have altered cytokine and HGH levels. Future studies should be conducted to fuUy characterize the sources, patterns, and significance of alterations in patterns of proinflammatory cytokines and HGH in narcolepsy. ... 

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