Interleukin-18 in chronic pain: Focus on pathogenic mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets

Chronic pain has been proven to be an independent disease, other than an accompanying symptom of certain diseases. Interleukin-18 (IL -18), a pro -inflammatory cytokine with pleiotropic biological effects, participates in immune modulation, inflammatory response, tumor growth, as well as the process of chronic pain. Compelling evidence suggests that IL -18 is upregulated in the occurrence of chronic pain. Antagonism or inhibition of IL -18 expression can alleviate the occurrence and development of chronic pain. And IL -18 is located in microglia, while IL -18R is mostly located in astrocytes in the spinal cord. This indicates that the interaction between microglia and astrocytes mediated by the IL-18/IL-18R axis is involved in the occurrence of chronic pain. In this review, we described the role and mechanism of IL -18 in different types of chronic pain. This review provides strong evidence that IL -18 is a potential therapeutic target in pain management.