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The Role of Cytokines and Autoantibodies Against Cytokines in Health...
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The Role of Cytokines and Autoantibodies Against Cytokines in Health and Disease

A Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067) belonging to the section "Molecular Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2026) | Viewed by 13534

Editor

Prof. Dr. Juan Bautista De Sanctis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Insitute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University, 77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Interests: inflammation; natural killer (NK) cells; immune response; metabolism; vaccines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cytokines are small proteins that play a vital role in regulating the growth, inhibition, and activity of various cells. Some serve as signals to activate functions of the immune system; others are involved in more open spectra, affecting different cells. Due to their beneficial effects, several pharmacological options have been designed to facilitate the treatment of various diseases. Antibodies against specific cytokines have been successfully used in therapy and can interfere with the inflammatory response, decreasing disease burden.

Conversely, autoantibodies targeting cytokines have also been identified; their role is considered significant, at least in the immune response. It is thought they may neutralize and inhibit the physiological function of the cytokine. It is plausible that additional autoantibodies against other cytokines other than those related to the immune response exist and affect other functions therein. Autoantibodies against cytokines have also been observed in healthy individuals, and their function remains ambiguous.

This Special Issue is intended to examine the functions of cytokines within various physiological and pathological contexts and address the role of autoantibodies targeting cytokines. Contributions exploring pharmacological methods for modulating cytokine effects, including delivery mechanisms and inhibitory strategies, are also encouraged. Submissions from both human and animal model studies are welcome.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Immuno.

Prof. Dr. Juan Bautista De Sanctis
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cytokine
  • autoantibodies
  • cytokine therapy
  • cytokine inhibition

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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26 pages, 1771 KB  
Article
Inflammatory and Immune Cytoprofiles of Active Ulcerative Colitis from Crohn’s Disease—Insights from Multivariable Modeling
by Małgorzata Krzystek-Korpacka, Łukasz Lewandowski, Iwona Bednarz-Misa, Andrzej Korpacki and Katarzyna Neubauer
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(16), 7217; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27167217 - 13 Aug 2026
Viewed by 447
Abstract
Differentiating active ulcerative colitis (UC) from Crohn’s disease (CD) is one of the unmet needs addressed by biomarkers in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The immune landscapes of UC and CD differ, justifying the search for discriminatory markers and novel therapy targets among their [...] Read more.
Differentiating active ulcerative colitis (UC) from Crohn’s disease (CD) is one of the unmet needs addressed by biomarkers in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The immune landscapes of UC and CD differ, justifying the search for discriminatory markers and novel therapy targets among their mediators. Herein, 27 systemic cytokines were measured using flow cytometry-based methodology in 138 IBD patients, with an additional 21 being determined in 67 of the patients. Their discriminatory power was assessed individually and as exploratory multivariable signatures generated using logistic regression, hierarchical clustering, and principal component analysis. Eotaxin-1, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) showed fair discriminatory potential, while multivariable models performed better. Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, and MIP-1α were strongly associated with CD, whereas IL-5, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), MIP-1β, and TRAIL were associated with UC. Active UC was characterized by mediators linked to eosinophil-, mastocyte-, and neutrophil-driven inflammation and tissue repair (eotaxin-1, IL-5, growth-regulated oncogene (GRO), MIP-1β, stem cell factor (SCF), GM-CSF, IL-1 receptor antagonist, TRAIL, stem cell growth factor (SCGF)-β, and cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK)), whereas active CD was associated with Th1/Th17 immunity, myeloid activation, fibrosis, angiogenesis, and neuroimmune remodeling (IL-1β, IL-12p70, IL-15, ‘regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted’ (RANTES), MIP-1α, stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1α, nerve growth factor β (β-NGF), and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)). In conclusion, integrated circulating immune signatures identify several understudied cytokines as potential contributors to disease-specific pathways and show potential in distinguishing active UC from CD warranting further mechanistic studies and independent validation in larger cohorts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Cytokines and Autoantibodies Against Cytokines in Health and Disease)
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Review

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46 pages, 1134 KB  
Review
Endometriosis: An Immunologist’s Perspective
by Jenny Valentina Garmendia, Claudia Valentina De Sanctis, Marian Hajdúch and Juan Bautista De Sanctis
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(11), 5193; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26115193 - 28 May 2025
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 12250
Abstract
Endometriosis, a complex inflammatory disease, affects a significant proportion of women of reproductive age, approximately 10–15%. The disease involves the growth of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity, leading to tissue remodeling and fibrosis. Hormonal imbalances, accompanied by local and general [...] Read more.
Endometriosis, a complex inflammatory disease, affects a significant proportion of women of reproductive age, approximately 10–15%. The disease involves the growth of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity, leading to tissue remodeling and fibrosis. Hormonal imbalances, accompanied by local and general inflammation and pain, are key features of endometriosis. Endometriotic lesions are associated with the overproduction of cytokines, metalloproteinases, prostaglandins, reactive oxygen radicals, and extracellular vesicles. Genetic predisposition and cytokine gene polymorphisms have been documented. Macrophages, dendritic cells, mast cells, Th1 in the early phase, Th2 in the late phase, and T regulatory cells play a crucial role in endometriosis. Reduced NK cell function and impaired immune vigilance contribute to endometrial growth. The strong inflammatory condition of the endometrium poses a barrier to the proper implantation of the zygote, contributing to the infertility of these patients. Cytokines from various cell types vary with the severity of the disease. The role of microbiota in endometriosis is still under study. Endometriosis is associated with autoimmunity and ovarian cancer. Hormonal treatments and surgery are commonly used; however, recent interest focuses on anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory therapies, including cytokine and anti-cytokine antibodies. Modulating the immune response has proven critical; however, more research is needed to optimize treatment for these patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Cytokines and Autoantibodies Against Cytokines in Health and Disease)
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