Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-15-2025
Abstract
Cytokine-mediated inflammation is increasingly recognized for playing a vital role in the pathophysiology of a wide range of brain disorders, including neurodegenerative, psychiatric, and neurodevelopmental problems. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) cause neuroinflammation, alter brain function, and accelerate disease development. Despite progress in understanding these pathways, effective medicines targeting brain inflammation are still limited. Traditional anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory drugs are effective in peripheral inflammatory illnesses. Still, they face substantial hurdles when applied to the central nervous system (CNS), such as the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and unwanted systemic effects. This review highlights the developing treatment techniques for modifying cytokine-driven neuroinflammation, focusing on advances that selectively target critical cytokines involved in brain pathology. Novel approaches, including cytokine-specific inhibitors, antibody-based therapeutics, gene- and RNA-based interventions, and sophisticated drug delivery systems like nanoparticles, show promise with respect to lowering neuroinflammation with greater specificity and safety. Furthermore, developments in biomarker discoveries and neuroimaging techniques are improving our ability to monitor inflammatory responses, allowing for more accurate and personalized treatment regimens. Preclinical and clinical trial data demonstrate the therapeutic potential of these tailored techniques. However, significant challenges remain, such as improving delivery across the BBB and reducing off-target effects. As research advances, the creation of personalized, cytokine-centered therapeutics has the potential to alter the therapy landscape for brain illnesses, giving patients hope for better results and a higher quality of life.
Recommended Citation
Mallick, Rahul, Sanjay Basak, Premanjali Chowdhury, Prasenjit Bhowmik, Ranjit K. Das, Antara Banerjee, Sujay Paul, Surajit Pathak, and Asim K. Duttaroy. 2025. "Targeting Cytokine-Mediated Inflammation in Brain Disorders: Developing New Treatment Strategies" Pharmaceuticals 18, no. 1: 104. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18010104
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
Pharmaceuticals
DOI
10.3390/ph18010104
Comments
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).