Interleukin-32: An endogenous danger signal or master regulator of intracellular pathogen infections—Focus on leishmaniases

•IL-32: an endogenous proinflammatory cytokine, expressed as distinct isoforms in immune and non-immune cells.•IL-32 contributes for inflammation and control of intracellular pathogens.•Understand the role of IL-32 in inflammation and infection might open new promising therapeutic strategies for treatments. Interleukin 32 (IL-32) is an intracellular cytokine produced by immune and non immune cells after different stimuli. It contributes to inflammation and control of intracellular pathogens mainly by inducing proinflammatory cytokines and microbicidal molecules. Evidence is rising showing that IL-32 can be considered an endogenous danger signal after tissue injury, amplifying the inflammatory process and acquired immune responses. It seems to be a master regulator of intracellular infectious diseases. In this review, first the general properties of IL-32 are described followed by its role in the immunopathogenesis of inflammatory and infectious diseases. Roles of IL-32 in the control of infectious diseases caused by intracellular pathogens are reported, and later a focus on IL-32 in leishmaniases, diseases caused by an intracellular protozoan, is presented.