Cytokines force profound effects on the progression of hematopoietic malignancies in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). pro-inflammatory mediators such as IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 tend to increase AML aggressiveness. It means dysregulated cytokine expression, which is a general hallmark of chronic inflammation and auto-inflammatory diseases, may also promote the development of hematological malignancies.
However, anti-inflammatory cytokines, especially transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and IL-10, two important signaling molecules that induce peripheral tolerance and re-establish homeostasis upon inflammation, clearly contribute to the dysregulated cytokine milieu in AML and impede AML progression.