The Perspective of Lymphokines in Disease Diagnosis

Abstract

Lymphokines is an overview of the various soluble mediators that play a role in the immune system and of their possible interrelationships. Lymphokines and monokines may quite properly be regarded as the hormones and chalones of the immune system. They play a wide variety of biological roles. Similar macromolecules can be produced by cells other than lymphocytes or macrophages, as long as an adequate triggering stimulus is provided. Many nonspecific humoral factors resembling nonspecific lymphokines are found in the hemolymph of a wide variety of invertebrates. Among these are lysozyme and other enzymes, hemagglutinins, immobilizing and cytotoxic substances (lysins), a clotting system, clumping and activating factors for hemocytes, the components of a hemolytic system resembling the alternative complement pathway, virus-inhibiting factors, etc. After the infection or introduction of foreign bodies, there are substantial quantitative and qualitative changes in many of these. The chapter illustrates a hypothetical evolutionary sequence (A-C) showing the derivation of T- and B-cell lineages from undifferentiated primitive wandering cells. It discusses the lymphokine action on target cell functions.