Since its cloning in 2000, interleukin-22 (IL-22) has been extensively studied as a tissue-protective cytokine, particularly in liver diseases. 1 IL-22 is produced by a variety of immune cells, including Th1, Th2, Th17, and Th22 cells, as well as natural killer cells, natural killer T cells, innate lymphoid cells, and mucosal-associated invariant T cells. However, the primary targets of IL-22 are not immune cells but epithelial cells, including hepatocytes, pancreatic acinar cells, and intestinal epithelial cells.
Since its cloning in 2000, interleukin-22 (IL-22) has been extensively studied as a tissue-protective cytokine, particularly in liver diseases. 1 IL-22 is produced by a variety of immune cells, including Th1, Th2, Th17, and Th22 cells, as well as natural killer cells, natural killer T cells, innate lymphoid cells, and mucosal-associated invariant T cells. However, the primary targets of IL-22 are not immune cells but epithelial cells, including hepatocytes, pancreatic acinar cells, and intestinal epithelial cells.