Cytokines: Made Simple for the Ophthalmologists
In the time of the global pandemic known as COVID- 19, everyone has heard the phrase ‘cytokine storm’ and how it can be a deadly consequence of the SARS- CoV2 virus infection. What are these cytokines though? What do they normally do in our bodies and why are they sometimes so deadly? Little multifunctional molecules The presence of pus-filled exudates, fever, localized swelling, and pain have been well documented since ancient times. Scientists in the 1940’s asked the question: “What causes all these symptoms?” They studied the pus, found that the white blood cells released ‘soluble factors’1 and the rest, as they say, is history. Structurally, the ‘soluble factors,’ also known as cytokines, are really small proteins (peptides). They are known as cell signaling molecules, as they essentially act as messengers that tell cells what to do. Their general mode of action is quite similar to a domino effect. Cell 1 is stimulated by some external factor and in response it secretes cytokines.
Dr. Swathi Lingam