IL-17 and Its Role in Acute and Chronic Inflammatory Responses of the Airways

IL-17 family is a subset of cytokines that participates in both acute and chronic inflammatory response. IL-17 is an important link between dependent adaptive immune T-cell and innate immune system, especially an inflammatory component in innate immune response. The ability of IL-17 in neutrophils chemotaxis is responsible for the central role of Th17 in adaptive immune reactions, which in them neutrophil inflammation is a prominent feature. A large accumulation of neutrophils in airways is the salient features of some pathological conditions such as bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). IL-17A and IL-17F have many common functions, which are necessary for recruitment and activation of neutrophils, in chemokine induction. Solely, IL-17A is a weak activator of NFkB, however, it is a powerful cytokine in collaboration with other cytokines such as TNF-a, so it can lead to the initiation and development of the pro-inflammatory responses.