This invention relates to compounds, compositions, and methods useful for modulating interleukin and/or interleukin receptor gene expression using short interfering nucleic acid (siNA) molecules. This invention also relates to compounds, compositions, and methods useful for modulating the expression and activity of other genes involved in pathways of interleukin and/or interleukin receptor gene expression and/or activity by RNA interference (RNAi) using small nucleic acid molecules. In particular, the instant invention features small nucleic acid molecules, such as short interfering nucleic acid (siNA), short interfering RNA (siRNA), double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), micro-RNA (miRNA), and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) molecules and methods used to modulate the expression of interleukin and/or interleukin receptor genes, such as IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-11, IL-12, IL-13, IL-14, IL-15, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18, IL-19, IL-20, IL-21, IL-22, IL-23, IL-24, IL-25, IL-26, and IL-27 genes and IL-1R, IL-2R, IL-3R, IL-4R, IL-5R, IL-6R, IL-7R, IL8R, IL-9R, IL-10R, IL-11R, IL-12R, IL-13R, IL-14R, IL-15R, IL-16R, IL-17R, IL-18R, IL19R, IL-20R, IL-21R, IL-22R, IL-23R, IL-24R, IL-25R, IL-26R, and IL-27R. Such small nucleic acid molecules are useful, for example, for treating, preventing, inhibiting, or reducing cancer, inflammatory, respiratory, autoimmune, cardiovascular, neurological, and/or proliferative diseases, disorders, or conditions in a subject or organism, and for any other disease, trait, or condition that is related to or will respond to the levels of interleukin and/or interleukin receptor in a cell or tissue, alone or in combination with other treatments or therapies.