cytokine
IL-5
Eosinophil survival and recruitment cytokine in type 2 immune ecology
TH2eosinophilallergyILC2
Review layer
Last reviewed 2026-05-17
conceptualeducational
Systems teaching draft. Content is structured for education and graph expansion, with formal source tagging ready for the next review pass.
State signature
Systems profile
Inflammation86
Tolerance45
Metabolism54
Tissue88
Neuroimmune38
Chronicity48
Cascade viewer
Source → signal → tissue behavior
Sources
T cell subsets
ILC2
mast cells
Signal
IL-5
Targets and effects
eosinophils
B cells
eosinophil survival
airway inflammation
related: IL-4related: IL-33related: IL-13related: TSLP
Graph neighborhood
Direct relationships
Eosinophil maturation, survival, and tissue persistence
Eosinophil arm of type 2 inflammation
Cytokine ecology
Signal Role
IL-5 is the key cytokine for eosinophil maturation, tissue recruitment, activation, and survival in allergic and helminth-associated inflammation.
Pathway
IL-5Rαcommon beta chainJAK/STATMAPK
Source Cells
Target Cells
eosinophilsB cells
Inflammatory Role
Sustains eosinophilic inflammation and tissue remodeling when type 2 loops persist.
Regulatory Role
Supports parasite containment and specialized mucosal defense.
Tissue Effects
eosinophil survivalairway inflammationesophageal inflammationgranule protein burden
Metabolic Effects
supports active granulocyte survival and lipid mediator generation
Nervous System Interactions
contributes indirectly to itch, cough, and neurogenic inflammation through eosinophil-rich tissue injury
Related Loops
IL-33/TSLP -> ILC2 -> IL-5IL-5 -> eosinophil survival -> tissue remodeling