Roles of Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines in the Pathogenesis of SLE

Table 1

Cytokine functions in different development phases of SLE.

Phases of SLE development	Involved cytokines	Main functions
Susceptibility	IFN-α	Increase MHC-I expression, upregulate Ifi202 gene
Initiation	IFN-α	Promote DC maturation, inhibit Treg
	IFN-γ	Increase BAFF, MHC-I/II, initiate Th1 cell response
	IL-6	Promote Th17 and plasma cells, inhibit Tregs differentiation, reduce apoptosis of T, B lymphocytes
Propagation	BAFF	Stimulate B-cell expansion and antibody production
	IL-23, IL-17	Promote T and B cell activation, stimulate Th17 differentiation
Regulation/resolution	IL-10	Downregulate IFN-γ and IL-23, reduce apoptosis of T, B lymphocytes
	TGF-β	Inhibit Th1 and Th2 response, induce Treg and Th17 differentiation