Interleukin-10: Is it good or bad for the kidney?

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a cytokine which has been suggested as a possible immunosuppressive treatment for kidney disease. The ability of IL- 10 to suppress antigen presentation to T cells, inhibit the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction and to inhibit macrophage production of pro- inflammatory cytokines provides a logical basis for its use in the treatment of kidney disease. With the exception of Th1-mediated crescentic glomerulonephritis, however, IL-10 treatment of experimental kidney disease has produced disappointing results largely due to its stimulatory effects upon the humoral immune response, macrophage Fc-receptor expression and macrophage proliferation. Paradoxically, there is now evidence to suggest that endogenous production of IL-10 within the kidney may actually contribute to kidney damage through stimulating mesangial proliferation, immune complex deposition and macrophage infiltration. We await the outcome of studies designed to block IL-10 function in experimental disease models.