Interleukin-17 in disease pathogenesis and therapy: recent advances in targeted drug design and medicinal chemistry.

Authors

Jing Wen, Fan Liu, Ling Zhang, Linxin Lu, Shaojie Liang, Shufang Du

Published in

Frontiers in pharmacology. Volume 17. Pages 1836187. Epub Jul 15, 2026.

Abstract

Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is a key pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays an essential role in host defense and immune regulation. Dysregulated IL-17 expression and signaling are implicated in the pathogenesis of a broad range of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus, periodontitis, and cancer. Increasing insights into IL-17 receptor engagement and downstream signaling networks, have established the IL-17 axis as a promising therapeutic target. Monoclonal antibodies targeting IL-17 or its receptor have demonstrated substantial clinical efficacy; however, their widespread application is limited by high cost, suboptimal tissue penetration, potential immunogenicity, and therapy-associated adverse effects. These limitations have driven growing interest in the development of alternative therapeutic strategies. This review provides a comprehensive overview of IL-17 signaling pathways and their contributions to disease pathogenesis and systematically summarizes current therapeutic approaches targeting the IL-17 axis, including monoclonal antibodies and emerging small-molecule inhibitors. Collectively, these insights offer a conceptual framework to support the rational design and development of next-generation IL-17-targeted therapeutics.

PMID:
42568824
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Aug 2026.

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