The relationship between interleukin and ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract

Ankylosing spondylitis is an autoimmune rheumatic disease, the development and progression of which are inseparably linked to cytokines. In recent years, with the rise of cytokine research, the “star family” of cytokines—the interleukin family—has gradually emerged as a key player in ankylosing spondylitis. The interleukin family consists of 38 members, among which 11 members are directly involved in or indirectly reflect the disease course of ankylosing spondylitis.At present, the interleukins that have been most extensively studied for this disease are IL-6, IL-17, and IL-23. Meanwhile, the research on targeted therapy for this disease is also somewhat limited to these three interleukins. This review introduces the roles and mechanisms of relevant interleukins in ankylosing spondylitis and focuses on interleukin-targeted therapy for the disease, aiming to provide a theoretical reference for the development of new therapeutic targets.