Are there any other cytokines and processes involving cytokines involved with allergies in humans and mammals?
Yes. INTERLEUKIN-4 and INTERLEUKIN-13 are by no means the only cytokines involved in allergy. Other relevant factors are for example INTERLEUKIN-5, which is responsible for asthmatic symptoms, and INTERLEUKIN-9, which is enhancing many disease-associated features of asthma. A special class of cytokines are the chemokines, these attract inflammatory compounds into the tissue, and cooperate to organize inflammatory processes in asthma. We are interested to understand the molecular interaction between pollutants and the immune system. We could indeed show that specific substances from the group of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons especially in city centers, commonly called SMOG, are able to up-regulate expression of INTERLEUKIN-4. Scientists now are continuing their investigations of several other cytokine and chemokine promoters for effects of these components. Understanding these mechanisms in polluted city centers would allow to further identify which substances in pollutant particles
