Interleukin-4/13 and Cancer

Both interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) are predominantly T-helper-2 (Th2) derived cytokines and share many structural and functional characteristics with each other. Both cytokines are also shown to be produced by mast cells and basophils (1–3). IL-4 was first identified in 1980s as a B-cell growth factor (4), and shown to mediate many effects on numerous cell types including T-cells, B-cells, monocytes, mast cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, astrocytes, and osteoblasts (5,6).