Therapeutic potential of targeting IL-17 and its receptor signaling in neuroinflammation

•IL-17 and its receptors have a key role in regulation of neuroinflammation during chronic neurodegenerative diseases.•Clinical studies in patients with neurodegenerative disease have also shown an increase in IL-17 levels in serum as well as cerebrospinal fluid samples.•Therapeutic targeting of IL-17 and/or its receptors has shown a promising preclinical and clinical proof of concept in targeting neuroinflammation. T helper 17 cells are thought to significantly contribute to the neuroinflammation process during neurogenerative diseases via their signature cytokine, interleukin (IL)-17. Recently, an emerging key role of IL-17 and its receptors has been documented in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The clinical studies conducted on patients with neurodegenerative disease have also shown an increase in IL-17 levels in serum as well as cerebrospinal fluid samples. Therapeutic targeting of either IL-17 receptors or direct IL-17 neutralizing antibodies has shown a promising preclinical and clinical proof of concept for treating chronic autoimmune neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Thus, IL-17 and its receptors have a central role in regulation of neuroinflammation and can be considered as one of the major therapeutic targets in chronic neuroinflammatory diseases.