2. Interleukin family and neuroinflammation
Interleukins, as a group of cytokines, were first found to be expressed in white blood cells as a means of intercellular signaling[6]. They can be produced by a variety of cells, such as macrophages, lymphocytes, etc. It is widely acknowledged that the function of the immune system largely depends on interleukins[6, 7]. At present, evidence suggests that there are 10 kinds of interleukins involved in substance abuse, among which IL-1 and IL-6 are the most studied(Figure 1). Interleukins are essential regulators of neuroimmunity and inflammatory responses in the body, as they form a complex network of inflammatory cytokines[8]. Under various pathological conditions of the central nervous system, cytokines are considered as crucial mediators of neuroinflammation and acute and chronic neurodegeneration[9]. For several years, there has been evidence that cytokine-mediated neuroinflammation is associated with nerve cell death and adverse outcomes. Factors of the interleukin family have been identified as essential mediators of acute neurodegeneration[10].