The role of cytokines in Guillain-Barresyndrome

Cytokines play an important role in the patho- genesis of autoimmune diseases including Guillain-Barre ´ syndrome (GBS) and its animal model experimental auto- immune neuritis (EAN). In this article, we reviewed the current knowledge of the role of cytokines such as TNF-a, IFN-c, IL-1b, IL-6, IL-12, IL-18, IL-23, IL-17, IL-10, IL-4 and chemokines in GBS and EAN as unraveled by studies both in the clinic and the laboratory. However, these studies occasionally yield conflicting results, highlighting the complex role that cytokines play in the disease process. Efforts to modulate cytokine function in GBS and other autoimmune disease have shown efficiency indicating that cytokines are important therapeutic targets.