Low Levels of IL-10 Detect Neurological Worsening

This weeks article investigated the concentration levels of anti-inflammatory molecules IL-10 and IL-4 and their role in neurological worsening in acute ischemic stroke, both are able to block proinflammatory action. IL-1o is known to inhibit monocyte/marophage synthesis and tumor necrosis factor-alpha by blocking gene transcription and downregulates release of intercellular adhesion molecules-1 and matrix metalloproteinase, and may have neuroprotectant activities resulting from non-anti-inflammatory action.

The results of this study proved that levels plasma concentrations of IL-10 does play a significant role in neurological worsening, whereas IL-4 was less important. Low plasma concentration of IL-10 provided an association with neurological deterioration in subcortical and lacunar infarts. These findings give further support from past experiments linking cytokines with early motor impairment with lacunar stroke.

Although studies have proved that IL-1o may be markers of neorolgical deterioration, work needs to be done to provide effects of cytokines on late worsening. A comparison can be made between concentration levels of early and late worsening to get more accurate results. But with the current findings in this study, it give evidence that IL-10 may have a potential role as neuroprotectants in acute vascular syndromes. The study mentions if there is a relationship between low concentration levels of IL-10 and risk of stroke and mortality when strokes occur, perhaps an exogenous injection of IL-10 to increase concentration can prevent stroke and clinical worsening in acute stroke.