Immunology · Cytokines and molecules
IL-10 and TGF-β (the brakes) !
- Molecule
IL-10 and TGF-β calm the immune response down after an infection and keep it from attacking the gut and the body's own tissues.
Updated 2026-11-01
What it is
IL-10 and TGF-β are the main anti-inflammatory cytokines. Regulatory T cells (CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+) secrete both, and macrophages and monocytes also make IL-10. IL-10 switches off activated macrophages and dendritic cells, while TGF-β induces FOXP3 and new regulatory T cells, but with IL-6 it steers T cells to Th17 instead; TGF-β also drives fibrosis.
Function
- End the inflammatory response once the microbe is cleared.
- Maintain tolerance in the gut to food and commensal bacteria.
- Tregs also use CTLA-4 and consume IL-2 to suppress effector cells.
Clinical notes
- IL-10 or IL-10 receptor deficiency: intestinal inflammation that starts in infancy; Treg lacking the IL-10 receptor fail to prevent colitis in models.
- Lepromatous leprosy: a weak Th1, IL-10-associated response leaves macrophages full of bacilli.
- FOXP3 loss (IPEX syndrome): absent regulatory T cells with severe autoimmunity in boys.
- Excess TGF-β contributes to fibrosis and to subepithelial fibrosis in chronic asthma.
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which cytokine combination produces Th17 cells instead of Tregs?
TGF-β with IL-6 (helped by IL-21 and IL-23); TGF-β alone favours FOXP3+ regulatory T cells.
What happens when IL-10 signalling is missing?
The gut loses tolerance and severe colitis appears early in life.
Which cells are the main source of IL-10 and TGF-β in immune regulation?
Regulatory T cells (CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+); macrophages and monocytes also make IL-10.
Related
- Cytokines: the table to know
- Interleukin-2
- Interleukin-6
- Interleukin-17
- IL-12 and IL-23
- Regulatory T cell (Treg, FOXP3)
- Immune tolerance and how autoimmunity begins
- Th1, Th2, Th17, Tfh and Treg
Related conditions
Microorganisms
Educational content on the immune system; not a treatment or individual vaccination guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.
Sources: Regulation of Treg cells by cytokine signaling and co-stimulatory molecules (Frontiers in Immunology, 2024); Th17/Treg imbalance in inflammatory bowel disease: immunological mechanisms and microbiota-driven regulation (Frontiers in Immunology, 2025); Pro-Inflammatory and Anti-Inflammatory Interleukins in Infectious Diseases: A Comprehensive Review (Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (PubMed Central), 2024); 21.3 The Adaptive Immune Response: T lymphocytes and Their Functional Types - Anatomy and Physiology 2e | OpenStax (OpenStax, 2022).
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.