Natural inflammation suppressor

Interleukin 37 (IL-37) — a chemical mediator of the immune system — can suppress inflammation, according to a report published online in Nature Immunology.

IL-37 is a member of the IL-1 family of proteins, which more commonly are known to trigger inflammation and are targets for intervention in chronic inflammatory diseases. Charles Dinarello and colleagues show that IL-37 does not elicit inflammation. Instead, IL-37 suppresses expression of multiple inflammatory mediators and can prevent septic shock in a mouse model.

Better understanding of how IL-37 dampens this inflammatory signaling network could provide insights to treatment of inflammatory disease.