ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Inflammatory cytokine

Imagine your body as a big playground with a lot of kids playing around. Sometimes, some of the kids can get really upset and start to yell and cry. These kids are like your immune cells in your body that are trying to fight off bad germs or other things that can make you sick.

Inflammatory cytokines are like the bullhorns that these upset kids use to make their voices louder and spread their message to other kids on the playground. In your body, cytokines are tiny proteins made by your immune cells that help to communicate and send signals to other immune cells.

When your body needs to fight off an infection or injury, your immune cells release inflammatory cytokines to call more immune cells to the area and start a bigger fight against the bad germs or damage. This can cause swelling, pain, redness, and heat in the area, which are all signs of inflammation.

However, just like having too many upset kids yelling on a playground can cause chaos, having too many inflammatory cytokines can cause problems in your body. In some cases, your immune system can overreact and release too many cytokines, leading to an intense and harmful immune response called a cytokine storm.

So, while inflammatory cytokines are important for your immune system to fight off infections and injuries, it's important to regulate their levels to prevent them from causing harm to your body.