Dysregulated Cytokine Signals in Human Disease

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 1137

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The body relies on numerous regulatory systems to facilitate normal development and sustain health, including signaling via an array of cytokines. These molecules mediate cell–cell communication, essential to responding appropriately to predestined developmental programs and a diverse range of environmental challenges. These signals are finely balanced to maintain health, with their dysregulation contributing to the pathogenesis of various disease states. This Special Issue seeks seminal primary research and definitive reviews on dysregulated cytokine signals and their role in human disease.

Prof. Dr. Alister C. Ward
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • cytokine
  • signaling
  • dysregulation
  • immunity
  • development
  • disease

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 2984 KB  
Article
Expression Patterns of Interferons and Proinflammatory Cytokines in the Upper Respiratory Tract of Patients Infected by Different Viral Pathogens: Correlation with Age and Viral Load
by Roberto Ferrarese, Federica Novazzi, Gabriele Arcari, Angelo Genoni, Francesca Drago Ferrante, Nicola Clementi, Serena Messali, Antonino Maria Guglielmo Pitrolo, Francesca Caccuri, Antonio Piralla, Arnaldo Caruso, Fausto Baldanti and Nicasio Mancini
Biomolecules 2025, 15(11), 1545; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15111545 - 3 Nov 2025
Viewed by 572
Abstract
Respiratory tract infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. After the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, pathogenetic mechanisms leading to more severe outcomes were investigated, including uncontrolled viral replication in the upper airways. This was only partially investigated for other respiratory viruses. We measured [...] Read more.
Respiratory tract infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. After the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, pathogenetic mechanisms leading to more severe outcomes were investigated, including uncontrolled viral replication in the upper airways. This was only partially investigated for other respiratory viruses. We measured mucosal expression of IFN-β1, IFN-λ1, IFN-λ2/3, IL-1β, and IL-6 in patients infected by human metapneumovirus, human rhinovirus, human respiratory syncytial virus or type A influenza virus. A total of 806 nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from patients presenting at emergency departments or hospitalized. Viral load was inferred through cycle threshold determination, whereas cytokine levels were measured through mRNA detection. Each expression pattern was correlated with age, viral load, and specific infecting virus. IFN-β1 and IFN-λ2/3 showed a negative correlation with viral load, while IFN-λ1 and IL-6 exhibited the opposite trend, suggesting increased inflammation with higher viral load. This was more evident in the ≥70-year-old group, with significantly higher IL-6 levels. Higher viral load of potentially more pathogenic viruses was associated with higher IL-6 expression. Cytokine production in the upper respiratory tract is only partially influenced by age per se, with a more relevant role played by viral load and specific infecting virus. In older patients, this response is less coordinated and prone to elicit a proinflammatory response, especially when clinically impacting viruses are involved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dysregulated Cytokine Signals in Human Disease)
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