Technical Articles

Interleukin-13 (IL-13) is a key effector cytokine in type II immune responses, sharing highly overlapping functions with IL-4 but exhibiting significant differences in target cells. The core role of IL-13 is not to initiate immune responses but to directly act on structural cells in tissues (e.g., epithelial cells, fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells), executing terminal effects such as mucus secretion, tissue fibrosis, and airway hyperresponsiveness. It serves as the central "executor" in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases and tissue repair/fibrosis processes, with its dysfunction directly leading to chronic pathological states characterized by tissue remodeling.