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Immune enhancement and anti-tumour activity of IL-23

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Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Immunotherapy, including the use of cytokines and/or modified tumour cells immune stimulatory cytokines, can enhance the host anti-tumour immune responses. Interleukin-23 (IL-23) is a relative novel cytokine, which consists of a heterodimer of the IL-12p40 subunit and a novel p19 subunit. IL-23 has biological activities similar to but distinct from IL-12. IL-23 can enhance the proliferation of memory T cells and the production of IFN-γ, IL-12 and TNF-α from activated T cells. IL-23 activates macrophages to produce TNF-α and nitric oxide. IL-23 can also act directly on dendritic cells and possesses potent anti-tumour and anti-metastatic activity in murine models of cancer. IL-23 can also induce a lower level of IFN-γ production compared with that induced by IL-12. This may make IL-23 an alternative and safer therapeutic agent for cancer, as IL-12 administration can lead to severe toxic side effects because of the extremely high levels of IFN-γ it induces.

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  1. Research Center, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050011, Hebei, China

    Jing-Sheng Hao & Bao-En Shan

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  1. Jing-Sheng Hao
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Correspondence to Bao-En Shan.

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This article is a symposium paper from the Annual Meeting of the “International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy of Cancer”, held in Shenzhen, China, on 9–11 December 2005.

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Hao, JS., Shan, BE. Immune enhancement and anti-tumour activity of IL-23. Cancer Immunol Immunother 55, 1426–1431 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-006-0171-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-006-0171-5

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