Osteopontin (OPN), also known as early T cell activation protein-1 (Eta-1), is a glycosylated phosphoprotein secreted by the activated macrophages (12), T lymphocytes (30), NK cells (31), and non-immune cells (20,28). Among many of its pleiotropic functions (7), OPN has been reported to be indispensable in the proinflammatory responses and the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases (8,24,46). The indispensability of OPN in the efficient development of the Th1 immune responses has been reported (1,23,32,37,38), although contradictory arguments have also been provided (3, 4, 44