Open AccessLooking at Interleukin-22 from a New Dermatological Perspective: From Epidermal Homeostasis to Its Role in Chronic Skin Diseases
Author(s) -
Francesca Prignano,
Elena Donetti
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1421-9832
pISSN - 1018-8665
DOI - 10.1159/000524119
Subject(s) - homeostasis , psoriasis , cytokine , interleukin 17 , interleukin , immunology , medicine , human skin , perspective (graphical) , mechanism (biology) , neuroscience , identification (biology) , biology , bioinformatics , microbiology and biotechnology , computer science , genetics , epistemology , philosophy , botany , artificial intelligence
Twenty years after the cloning, characterization, and identification of interleukin (IL)-22 in 2000, the precise biological role of this cytokine in healthy and unhealthy skin is not completely known. The aim of this review is to provide an overview on the recent knowledge available in literature about the origin, sources, targets, molecular mechanism of action, and clinical issues regarding IL-22. Last but not least, recent experimental evidence obtained in a 3D model of organotypic culture of normal human skin highlights its homeostatic role and will be discussed in detail, as personal observations. As most of the data concerning IL-22 immunomodulating activity are obtained from mouse models, this work offers a new perspective on its clinical role. The hypothesis herein advanced is that IL-22 profoundly affects keratinocyte terminal differentiation, whereas, in order to induce a proliferation impairment, a more complex psoriatic-like microenvironment is needed.