Description
Relevance: Interleukin-8 (IL-8) belongs to the neutrophil-specific CXC family of chemokines. It is one of the initial cytokines released from a variety of cell types, including T cells, endothelial cells and fibroblasts, in response to an inflammatory stimulus and acts by recruiting neutrophils, T-cells and basophils to the site of inflammation. Elevated Interleukin-8 levels are associated with the onset of a variety of disease states.
Function: IL-8 is a chemotactic factor that attracts neutrophils, basophils, and T-cells, but not monocytes. It is also involved in neutrophil activation. It is released from several cell types in response to an inflammatory stimulus. IL-8(6-77) has a 5-10-fold higher activity on neutrophil activation, IL-8(5-77) has increased activity on neutrophil activation and IL-8(7-77) has a higher affinity to receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2 as compared to IL-8(1-77), respectively