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Immunology · Cytokines and molecules

IL-8 and the chemokines !

  • Molecule

Chemokines are signals that call immune cells to a place. IL-8 (CXCL8) is the one that brings neutrophils to an infection.

Updated 2026-11-01

What it is

Chemokines are small cytokines that guide cell movement (chemotaxis) and are grouped by the spacing of their first cysteines into CXC, CC, CX3C and XC families. They act on seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors named after the family (CXCR, CCR). IL-8, now called CXCL8, was the first chemokine described and is the main neutrophil attractor; other chemokines direct monocytes, lymphocytes and cell traffic in lymph nodes.

Function

  • Guide neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes from blood to tissue along a concentration gradient.
  • Activate integrins on rolling leukocytes (inside-out signalling).
  • Organise lymph nodes: homeostatic chemokines bring T and B cells to their zones.

Clinical notes

  • Neutrophil-rich inflammation (pus) depends on CXCL8; in COPD it is one of the main neutrophil recruiters.
  • In psoriasis, IL-17 makes keratinocytes release IL-8 and CCL20, drawing in neutrophils and Th17 cells.
  • HIV uses CD4 plus CCR5 or CXCR4 to enter cells; people homozygous for the CCR5-Δ32 deletion are largely resistant to CCR5-using strains.
  • Maraviroc (CCR5 antagonist) works only against CCR5-tropic HIV, so a tropism test is done first.

Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

Which cell does IL-8 (CXCL8) mainly attract?

Neutrophils, through the receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2.

What type of receptor do chemokines use?

Seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors, mostly linked to Gαi.

Which chemokine receptor is blocked by maraviroc and why does it matter?

CCR5, an HIV co-receptor; it only helps when the patient's virus uses CCR5, so tropism is tested first.

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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: Touch of Chemokines (Frontiers in Immunology, 2012); Cell Adhesion Molecules and Their Roles and Regulation in the Immune and Tumor Microenvironment (Frontiers in Immunology, 2019); 21.2 Barrier Defenses and the Innate Immune Response - Anatomy and Physiology 2e | OpenStax (OpenStax, 2022); Major Role of the IL17/23 Axis in Psoriasis Supports the Development of New Targeted Therapies (Frontiers in Immunology, 2021).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.