The role of interleukin-23 in stability of in vitro T helper-17 cells.

Interleukin (IL)-17-producing T helper (Th)-17 cells have recently been explained as a distinct population of CD4+ T cells which play an important role in immunity against infectious agents. Establishment of persistent phenotype of Th17 cells and recognition of lineage-deviating factors are of most attractive goals in modern researches in immunology. Although IL-6 and TGF-β are frequently used to differentiate naive T cells to Th17 phenotype in mouse models, the application of IL-23 and its importance in preventing cells from plasticity needs to be more investigated.