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Interleukin-18
Pathway / Plaque inflammation

Interleukin-18

IL18protein

Interleukin-18 is an inflammasome-processed cytokine that promotes atherosclerotic inflammation, immune activation, and plaque destabilization in the atherothrombotic cascade leading to MI.

Pathway placement
Cascade stepPlaque inflammation
Confidencehigh
RationaleNLRP3 inflammasome-derived cytokine; drives atherosclerotic plaque inflammation and instability contributing to MI pathogenesis.
Druggability
DruggableYes
Known drugs / candidates3
Small-molecule tractableNo
Antibody tractableYes
EnsemblENSG00000150782

Type I vs Type II discrimination

ScoresType-II-associated
R — rupture / Type-I
—
C — confounder / Type-II
61
A — assay feasibility
72
E — evidence strength
57
T1DI (composite)
11
Specificity differential (R−C)-46
Confounder panel (Type-II drivers)
1sepsis / systemic inflammationmag 3
2anemia / acute blood lossmag 2
3hypovolemia / dehydrationmag 1
4tachyarrhythmiamag 2
5hypoxemia / respiratory failuremag 1
6hypertensive emergencyn/a
7high-demand / peri-operative stressmag 2
Coverage: 6/7 confounders with evidence
Tier: deep-scored (abstract-extracted) · 12 supporting references. See the discrimination table for all markers.

Assay & specimen

Class-level default (no specific cleared assay)— generic method inferred from analyte class; confirm against a specific product insert before use.
Specimen
Serum or plasma
Collection tube
Serum separator (gold/red-top, SST) · K2/K3-EDTA (lavender-top)
Method / principle
Sandwich immunoassay (ELISA) — research-grade unless a cleared assay exists
Reagent / substrate
Matched anti-target antibody pair (capture + labeled detection)
Platform
ELISA microplate or multiplex (Luminex/MSD)
Turnaround · availability
Send-out / research · Research-grade (no universal clinical assay)

Literature evidence(21)