IL-1 in chronic arthritis, lessons from animal models

Interleukin (IL)-1 is a cytokine that plays a major role in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. This cytokine initiates a wide range of proinflammatory cascades in many cell types. IL-1 and other members of the IL-1 superfamily are found in patients with many chronic inflammatory diseases. IL-1 drives both acute and chronic inflammation and its blockade has been shown to ameliorate disease in preclinical studies. This article reviews the role of IL-1 in chronic joint diseases, in particular models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Section editors:Terry Delovitch – The John P. Robarts Research Institute, London, ON, CanadaDavid Scott – University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA