Recent evidence suggests that the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-18 may have utility as an anti-angiogenic agent in the eye. Numerous laboratories, including our own have demonstrated the ability of murine IL-18 to prevent neovascularization in the retina, choroid and cornea in pathological scenarios. Here, we summarize the potential use of IL-18 as an immunotherapy for wet age-related macular degeneration treatment, describing past and recent findings pertaining to its biological function in the eye.
Keywords: AMD; IL-18; NLRP3; VEGF; choroidal neovascularization; geographic atrophy; immunotherapy; inflammasome; retina; retinal pigment epithelium.